MLB Spring Training: Lindor Returns, Rotations Finalize

As Major League Baseball's spring training enters its final weeks ahead of the March 25 season opener, teams are finalizing rotations and addressing injury recoveries, with New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor making a successful return to game action and several pitching battles heating up across the league.

Lindor, a five-time All-Star, played four innings in the Mets' rain-shortened 8-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday in Port St. Lucie, Florida, going 1-for-3 with a run scored. The 32-year-old underwent surgery on February 11 to repair a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, which initially raised concerns about his availability for the March 26 opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "I felt like I was pretty much like myself, and I finished the game healthy," Lindor said after the game. "Overall, it's a good day for me." Mets manager Carlos Mendoza noted that Lindor showed no hesitation in his pregame preparation and appeared fully like himself during the contest. The team plans to ease him back with every-other-day appearances in minor league games and simulated at-bats to build toward full participation. Last season, Lindor led the majors with 762 plate...