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The New York Mets are desperate for a jolt of life, and Francisco Lindor could be on the way soon to help deliver it.
The All-Star shortstop has been out since suffering a calf injury in April, but took a major step toward returning this week when he took the field for Double-A Binghamton. Lindor had a strong performance in the rehab assignment, paving the way for his impending return to Queens.
Francisco Lindor on Track to Return
Lindor was able to play six innings for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the team’s Double-A affiliate, going 1-for-4 with a hit in his first at-bat in nearly two full months. As SI.com’s Mike Phillips reported, the Mets had already been ramping up Lindor’s activity ahead of the assignment.
“The rehab assignment marked Lindor’s first official plate appearances since injuring his calf back in late April,” Phillips reported. “The calf issue has sidelined Lindor for nearly two months, but he has ramped up his activity level this week, participating in multiple simulated games at Citi Field prior to going out on rehab.”
Because the Mets got some extra work for Lindor before the trip to Binghamton, his return could be coming sooner, with a decision expected before the end of the weekend.
“The idea behind those games is that it will cut down on the amount of rehab games Lindor needs before returning to the Mets’ lineup,” Phillips wrote. “The current plan calls for Lindor to get an off day tomorrow and play in another rehab game on Sunday with either Binghamton or Triple-A Syracuse before deciding on the next steps.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the team trusts Lindor to make a decision for himself after spending a weekend in Binghamton.
“This is a guy that knows himself better than anybody,” Mendoza told reporters on Thursday. “He’s going to let us know if he needs more at-bats, or physically how he’s feeling, and we’ll go from there.”
Mets Desperate to Get Back on Track
The Mets are clinging to the outer fringes of the wild-card race, going 26-25 without Lindor and desperate to climb back into the playoff race. While the goal remains reaching the playoffs, some analysts believe they are reaching a decision point on whether to buy or sell at the upcoming trade deadline.
Reporter Mark Feinsand of MLB.com suggested that the team may need to consider shopping some of the pitching staff who have expiring contracts.
“There’s still plenty of time for the Mets to put themselves in the Wild Card mix, but if they’re still well under .500 and have a bunch of teams ahead of them – there were six teams between them and the third Wild Card spot as of Wednesday afternoon – they would be negligent not to shop impending free agents Freddy Peralta, David Peterson and A.J. Minter at the very least,” Feinsand wrote.
That could make Lindor’s return even more pivotal, with the team needing to make up ground fast and surpass several teams ahead of the trade deadline.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty