Francisco Lindor ‘sad’ to see Robinson Cano go after ‘wouldn’t be happy’ plea

Francisco Lindor wishes he had more time with Robinson Cano as his teammate, but said he “respects” the Mets’ decision to designate the struggling veteran for assignment on Monday.

A day after the star shortstop said he wouldn’t be happy if the club dumped Cano in order to trim its roster down to 26 by Monday’s deadline, the Mets followed through with the decision.

“Sad,” Lindor said after the Mets fell to the Braves 5-2 at Citi Field. “I didn’t want to see him go, but I respect the team’s decision. He’s a great guy, great teammate. I wish I [could] spend more time with him, continue to learn about the game and different things that he has been through in life. But at the end of the day, I’m with the New York Mets and I respect their decision.”

The move was expected to resonate in the clubhouse, where the 39-year-old Cano was well-liked, but Lindor said it was tough to tell on Monday because players had a late report time and then quickly turned their attention to the game once they arrived at Citi Field.

But Lindor spoke to Cano on Sunday night after he received the news.

“I’m sure he was sad,” Lindor said. “But life continues. … There’s still a couple days [until Cano’s fate is resolved, likely with the Mets releasing him], so we’ll see what happens.”

Lindor and Cano were teammates for only one-plus season, though Cano was not around the team at all last year while serving a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Still, Lindor said he learned plenty from the eight-time All-Star who has been in the major leagues since 2004.

“He’s patient,” Lindor said. “He has a lot of patience and he’s very humble. Happy guy. He always had a different story every single day. You knew where Cano was because he was either laughing really loud or telling a story really loud. Wherever he goes, I wish him nothing but the best.”