PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is being evaluated for a stress reaction in his left hand.
Lindor experienced some soreness in the area around his left hand and wrist over the past couple days. David Stearns, the president of baseball operations for New York, said Lindor is going to visit a hand specialist on Wednesday to check his hamate bone.
“It is possible this will result in hamate surgery. If it does, that's a six-week recovery, which puts us right at opening day,” Stearns said. “So at this point, even if it does require surgery, we would remain optimistic that Francisco would be back for opening day.”
Lindor, 32, hit .267 with 31 homers, 86 RBIs and 31 steals in 160 games with New York last year. The five-time All-Star was left off Puerto Rico's roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic over insurance coverage.
Stearns also announced that Juan Soto is going to shift from right to left field. The change was finalized after discussions between the slugger and manager Carlos Mendoza.
Soto also is going to play left for the Dominican Republic in the WBC.
“Over the last month or so, as Mendy and Juan were talking about the season, Juan was working out in left field because he's going to play left field for the D.R. in the WBC,” Stearns said. "As they had their conversations, he felt really comfortable there.
“It made sense for us from a roster perspective, so we're going to go forward with it and everyone's on board with it.”
New York's pitchers and catchers are scheduled to have their first spring training workout Wednesday. The team’s first full-squad workout is Monday.
Soto, 27, agreed to a record $765 million, 15-year contract with New York in December 2024. The four-time All-Star batted .263 with 43 homers, 105 RBIs and 38 steals in his first season with the Mets.
Soto also played left field at the beginning of his career with the Washington Nationals. Mendoza said the conversations about moving to left started in late December.
“I just asked him, ‘How would you feel to play left field for us?’” Mendoza said Tuesday. “And he was like ‘I’m willing to do whatever, you know. If you want me to pitch, Mendy, I’ll pitch.’ Kind of like with that smile, right? And then I was like, ‘Now seriously speaking here, is that something you will consider, if it makes sense for both?’ He's like, 'Absolutely.'"
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FILE - New York Mets' Francisco Lindor walks to the dugout during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladk,File)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter fired pistols during an inspection of a light munitions factory, state media photos showed Thursday, as he pushes to modernize conventional forces after years of focus on nuclear weapons.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim visited a factory producing pistols and other light arms a day earlier and reviewed a new pistol that recently entered production.
After testing the weapon at a shooting range, Kim rated it “excellent,” the agency said. The agency did not mention the presence of Kim’s daughter in its text report but its photos showed her firing a pistol along with senior military officials.
Kim said the factory was crucial for supplying pistols and other light arms to the military and security forces, and urged expanded capacity and more modern production lines, KCNA said.
Since first appearing in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022, Kim’s daughter — believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and about 13 — has accompanied her father to a growing number of events, including military displays, factory openings and a September trip to Beijing, where Kim Jong Un held his first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years.
Her increasingly prominent public appearances have prompted South Korean intelligence officials and experts to assess that Kim Jong Un is likely grooming her as a future leader to extend the family dynasty into a fourth generation.
State media last month showed the girl testing a sniper rifle as Kim presented the weapons to senior officials following a ruling party congress where he issued his major political and military goals for the next five years.
The visit to the pistol factory followed an inspection Tuesday in which Kim and his daughter watched the test launch of what state media described as nuclear-capable cruise missiles from a naval destroyer as Kim called for speeding up the nuclear armament of his navy.
Find more of AP’s Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, right, and his daughter visit a factory producing pistols and other light arms at an undisclosed place in North Korea Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un's daughter, center, tries out a new pistol at a factory producing pistols and other light arms at an undisclosed place in North Korea Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un tries out a new pistol at a factory producing pistols and other light arms at an undisclosed place in North Korea Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows its leader Kim Jong Un, right, and his daughter, left, watch what it says the cruise missiles launches from the naval destroyer, the Choe Hyon, via video Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
