QUEENS, NY — Following his MRI on his lower back Monday, New York Mets superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor expects to be out on a day-to-day basis after scans showed no structural damage to the area.
“I’m great,” Lindor said prior to the Mets’ series opener against the Washington Nationals on Monday at Citi Field. “I still have a little bit of pain, but we had good news. Everything seems like it’s good. It could be three to five days, or it could be two to three. It depends on how my back reacts.”
His early expectation is that he will miss the entirety of the series against the Nationals, but he is hoping that he can get back in the lineup for a pivotal four-game set at Citi Field beginning Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I should be back,” Lindor said. If it turns a corner quick, I should be back soon. If not then it’ll be a little longer. But I should be back before the year ends. Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later.
“The best-case scenario would be playing against the Nationals. I don’t know how realistic that is but we’ll see how I wake up tomorrow. If the trainer allows me to move — and I’ll come in and force their hand — I’ll respect their decision.”
The NL MVP candidate exited Friday night’s 11-3 victory over those same Phillies in the seventh inning with what the Mets described as back tightness. After sitting on Saturday — his first missed game of the 2024 season — he attempted to play on Sunday. He singled in his first at-bat to lead off the game, but was out of the game by the second inning as he dealt with what he described as “both soreness and tightness.”
“During the game it felt tight, it felt uncomfortable,” he said. “It was also dull. It was just different and it has changed from day to day. That’s why I said it could two to three days or it could be three to five days. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”
His early exit on Sunday sent up immediate red flags for manager Carlos Mendoza, who immediately expected a far worse fate for his star shortstop.
“Honestly, relief,” Mendoza said. “Really good news because we didn’t know what was going to happen. He comes out of the game [Sunday] and then he’s going to get an MRI and you don’t know what you’re going to get out of that. I think we got the best news.
“The hope is he’s going to be a player for us before the year is over. I was expecting the worst, to be honest with you. For Lindor to not be in the lineup one day and then to be in the lineup and come out of the game after one inning, that’s pretty telling. I know how hard and how tough this guy is. He’s going to play through pain. He was dealing with it for the past 10 days… but for him to come out of the game yesterday, I was worried. Now that we got good news, it’s just a waiting game here.”
Lindor had not experienced this sort of lower-back discomfort since early in his professional career when he was in the minors within the Cleveland Guardians’ system. According to the initial plans set forth by team doctors, his recovery process does not include any shots.
He expects to have to manage this for the remainder of the season, whether that extends into the playoffs or not.
“No player at this time of the year has zero pain… I’m expecting it to last for the rest of the year, but it’s going to be manageable,” he said. “That’s how I’m seeing it right now. Tomorrow I wake up sore but not as bad.”
Without Lindor in the lineup, Mendoza will turn to Jose Iglesias and No. 12 prospect Luisangel Acuna, who made his MLB debut on Saturday in Philadelphia. No player, however, will be able to fill the shoes of Lindor while he is out.
The 30-year-old has been one of baseball’s very best players since mid-May and has forced his way into the National League’s MVP conversation alongside Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani. In 148 games, he is batting .271 with an .836 OPS, 31 home runs, 86 RBI, and 27 stolen bases.
