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New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor offered a straightforward assessment of Freddy Peralta after facing his former teammate for the first time since the Mets traded Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays on August 2, one day before the 2026 MLB trade deadline. Lindor homered to lead off Tuesday’s game, but Peralta quickly settled in and helped Tampa Bay secure a 6-2 victory. SNY Mets shared Lindor’s postgame reaction Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter, after the veteran shortstop was asked whether Peralta looked different from his time in New York. “No, not really. Very similar to how he was in Milwaukee as well. Freddy's a tough pitcher, he's a really good pitcher” Francisco Lindor was asked if Freddy Peralta looked different tonight than when he was on the Mets "No, not really. Very similar to how he was in Milwaukee as well. Freddy's a tough pitcher, he's a really good pitcher" pic.twitter.com/8OCwuvYtK3 — SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 2, 2026 Lindor provided the Mets’ only damage against Peralta, launching his 15th home run of the season on a 3-2 curveball to begin the game. Peralta responded by limiting the Mets to only one run across six innings while allowing three hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. The outing came roughly one month after the Mets traded the two-time All-Star to Tampa Bay. New York had acquired Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers in January alongside Tobias Myers for prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. Peralta went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA across 22 starts for the Mets before New York sent him to the Rays for outfielder Aidan Smith, right-hander Gary Gill Hill, and infielder Emilien Pitre. Lindor had previously praised Peralta’s competitiveness after the right-hander arrived in Queens. His latest comments maintained that respect after their first matchup as opponents. Peralta ultimately controlled the Mets after Lindor’s leadoff homer, helping the Rays secure the 6-2 win Tuesday at Tropicana Field.