Back in 2016, we were asking what was wrong with Michael Conforto? As it turns out, the answer was a wrist injury.

Five years later, we’re asking the same question. The answers are out there but haven’t been as obvious.

Before looking at Conforto, we should take a quick glimpse of Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers. Very much like Conforto, many were baffled as to why he wasn’t performing anywhere near his expected level of production.

The answer was COVID. Prior to training camp, he contracted COVID, and it hampered his preparation for the start of the season. Even with his being able to participate in training camp, he never really got up to speed.

There were some smaller injuries early in the season he might not have normally suffered. It really took him over half a season before we saw a glimpse of what he could be. On that, Zibanejad indicated COVID was the reason:

“It was hard, it wasn’t easy and everyone reacts to it differently,” Zibanejad said on a Zoom call with reporters. “I wasn’t feeling very good. I told you guys I was fine, but it was just for my sake I didn’t want to create anything around that or put that in my own head really.”

(AP).

This merits another look at Conforto. Like Zibanejad, he had COVID on the eve of Spring Training. While Conforto downplayed the impact, like Zibanejad initially did, he admitted it affected his ability to prepare for the season:

“I was very lucky,” Conforto said. “I had really mild symptoms. My fiancée had it more on the moderate side, she experienced everything. I certainly had some shortness of breath and it wasn’t easy for me, being so close to spring training I was really trying to work out, and I just couldn’t do that.”

(Mike Puma, New York Post).

Whereas Zibanejad was able to get up to speed on his game and conditioning so he could turn it on at the end of the season, Conforto didn’t get that opportunity. Just 33 games into the season, he suffered a hamstring injury.

The injury cost him 69 games, which was over 40% of the season. During the time Zibanejad was pushing and working, Conforto was rehabbing. It makes a significant difference.

Perhaps, that is why we haven’t seen Conforto do much of anything this season. His current 94 wRC+ would be the worst of his career. That number is actually an uptick of where it was.

In August, he’s looked slightly more Conforto like hitting .227/.393/.455. Prior to that, he was .198/.324/.327. That was an 89 wRC+.

Honestly, at this point, blaming COVID and the hamstring could be guessing. After all, we haven’t heard from Conforto again.

That said, Conforto did admit he was completely unable to work out on the eve of Spring Training. He then lost over 40% of the season due to a hamstring injury.

In some ways, this is similar to 2018. He looked good enough after the shoulder injury, but he wasn’t in game shape, at least not Conforto game shape. As a result, Ed wondered if he could ever be the same player again.

It took time, but he returned to being that player. Hopefully, we’re seeing the same thing here. A Conforto who probably should’ve been given more time is turning it on late.

That’s good for him as he’s got free agency to deal with this offseason. It’ll be good for the Mets too as they now find themselves in a dogfight for the NL East, and they’re without a leader to help push them through it.

Now, more than ever, the Mets need Conforto. The hope is the lingering effects of COVID and the hamstring are behind him. If so, watch out.