Jorge Polanco to have season-ending left ankle surgery, Mets place him on 10-day IL

Jorge Polanco’s season with the New York Mets is headed for an early end after the team placed the veteran infielder on the 10-day injured list with left ankle bursitis and announced he will undergo season-ending surgery, according to Andy Green. The move comes after Polanco, who has been playing while dealing with pain, was unable to find relief in the ankle that has limited his ability to perform normally.

Green characterized the situation as more than a temporary setback. In remarks reported by Yahoo Sports, he said Polanco “can’t get freedom from the pain,” describing the condition as something Polanco had been laboring through rather than something that had fully resolved. With surgery now scheduled, the Mets are treating the problem as one that will require recovery time beyond the current MLB season.

Polanco, typically viewed as a cornerstone bat and presence in the Mets’ infield plans, is also part of the organization’s versatility at first base and designated-hitter responsibilities when matchups require it. The report notes he has been operating in that first-base and DH role, which matters because the Mets may need to reshuffle their everyday spots over the final stretch of the season to cover both his defensive value and his offensive production.

A 10-day IL placement is a procedural step, but “season-ending” surgery indicates a longer timeline for return. That distinction is important for how teams plan their late-season rosters. Even if Polanco’s IL stay begins with the standard injured-list window, the reported plan for surgery suggests he will not be available for a postseason push this year, changing the Mets’ internal math on lineup construction and playing time distribution.

The Mets now face the immediate challenge of filling a role that can be hard to replicate, both in terms of skills and rhythm. Polanco’s ability to play multiple positions, coupled with his experience, usually shapes how a manager manages substitutions and the order of at-bats. Without him, the Mets will likely have to lean harder on the players currently available around him, including those who can cover infield work and those who can absorb the first-base and DH workload.

For Polanco, the priority shifts away from game-to-game performance and toward managing the underlying ankle issue. Bursitis can flare and linger when it prevents comfortable movement and consistent load through the joint. By moving quickly to surgery and using the injured list designation, the Mets appear to be aiming to prevent further aggravation, even though it ends his season.

What to watch next is how quickly New York recalibrates its lineup roles and who earns the most consistent reps in the absence of Polanco. Because the report ties Green’s comments directly to ongoing pain, any late-season performance questions for the Mets may be answered less by incremental adjustments and more by the durability of the replacements tasked with steady playing time.