Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

As good as Francisco Lindor was for the New York Mets in 2022, he was also playing hurt. Like really hurt.

In an interview with Mike Puma of The New York Post on Friday, Lindor revealed that he suffered with lower abdominal discomfort since August 2021. After the pain really flared up in the wake of the NL wild-card series to the San Diego Padres last year, the star shortstop underwent surgery.

“I could barely move,” Lindor told The Post. “We checked (the appendix) and there was nothing, apparently. I just figured that it was something that was going to come on and off, and never say anything.”

However, after playing through the pain barrier for almost the entire season, Lindor eventually had to go under the knife after his wife, Katia, persuaded him to go to the emergency room.

Lindor underwent an appendectomy and the laparoscopic procedure, which featured just three small incisions, meant Lindor was released from the hospital just 12 hours later. His recovery was short and sweet and, if the Mets had gotten past the Padres to play in the NLDS, Lindor admitted he would have gritted his teeth and continued to play through the pain.

“I probably would have held it,” Lindor told The Post. “I probably would have kept it on the down-low and just continued to play.”

It is pretty significant that Lindor was hindered by a painful ailment yet was able to still produce the way he did in 2022. It is also remarkable that, after returning from the IL, Lindor was still able to put up solid numbers despite the pain still very much existing. He hit .286/.372/.420/.792 with four homers, 15 RBI and four stolen bases in August, before slashing .281/.311/.477/.788 with five home runs and 22 RBI in September / October combined.

Lindor did struggle in the wild-card series – hitting just .200/.333/.500 – but we now know there was a very good reason behind those struggles. The 29-year-old was effectively playing with appendix pain all year and it reached a boiling point just as the postseason was beginning.

The good news for the Mets is that the ‘fart bubble’ – as Lindor coined the discomfort – is now dealt with and their star shortstop will be entering 2023 with no discomfort or pain that could hinder him. Given that Lindor put together his best year in a Mets uniform in 2022 while dealing with appendix pain, it is feasible to suggest that even bigger things could be on the horizon this season now that the issue has been dealt with.