Somewhat lost in the shuffle of Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves’ sheer unwillingness to use logic with Hurricane Helene bearing down on them was the New York Mets getting their MVP back.
Following an eight-day absence with a lower back issue, Francisco Lindor was listed as the Mets’ lead-off man for Wednesday night’s game in Atlanta before it was rained out.
Thursday night’s game at Truist Park was also called off due to the inclement weather, and a doubleheader scheduled for Monday—one day after the regular season ends—has been deemed the best possible makeup scenario.
If things fall right for the Mets, that doubleheader will not matter, especially after losing the series opener on Tuesday night 5-1, allowing the Braves to move back within one game of New York in the Wild Card standings.
The Mets now head to Milwaukee to face the NL Central-champion Milwaukee Brewers, who are all but locked into the No. 3 seed in the NL postseason picture and might not have all that much to play for this weekend.
Of course, their mindset is opposite to where the Mets are currently at. Just a single game separates them from a postseason berth or not, meaning every game in Milwaukee is a must-win.
Getting Lindor back into the fold will provide an immense boost for a team that suddenly looked like a shell of its MLB-best self since June on Tuesday night in Atlanta. The 30-year-old shortstop will likely finish in the top two of the NL MVP voting this season, slashing .271/.342/.494 with 31 home runs and 86 RBI.
While he stabilizes the top of the lineup, it will allow manager Carlos Mendoza to deploy rookie Luisangel Acuna in more of a utility role where his developing bat and plus speed could be invaluable in the right situations down the stretch and potentially in October.
