NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor entered the Mets clubhouse on Monday afternoon as chill as ever.
Dressed stylishly in a gray crewneck, a black do-rag and Oakley shades, the Mets shortstop zigzagged through the room toward his locker. Along the way, the ever-affable superstar greeted almost everyone in his path. A hug to a teammate, a dap-up to a media relations employee, a kind smile here, a knowing nod there.
One day after recurring back discomfort forced him out of a crucial game, Lindor looked his typical self: easy, free, effortless. There were no obvious signs that the hopes of a franchise and a fan base rested on his aching body. He didn’t move like a player who, just hours earlier, had been praying in his car that his sensational 2024 campaign would be allowed to continue.
“I was praying on my way to the MRI and CT scan that it was going to be something day-to-day, and the good lord answered my prayers,” Lindor told Yahoo Sports and other assembled media during a short session Monday afternoon.
Lindor indicated that he’ll likely resume physical activities Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how he feels. The switch-hitting shortstop is enjoying the best offensive season of his career, with 31 homers, 27 steals, an .836 OPS and superb defense at shortstop. He is a near lock to finish in the top two of NL MVP voting alongside Dodgers dynamo Shohei Ohtani.
But as the Mets’ topsy-turvy season races to its dramatic conclusion, Lindor’s back has become a main character. First it kept Lindor out of the starting lineup on Saturday for just the second time this season. A day later, he tried to play through the pain. Lindor hobbled through two innings before taking himself out.
Clinging to the final NL wild card, the Mets lost both games to Philadelphia in gut-churning fashion. Their best player and emotional leader watched it all unfold from the dugout.
The Mets woke up Monday morning tied with Atlanta for a playoff spot and fearing the worst: that the team’s best player might not play again this year.
But then team and player received good news. An MRI revealed no structural damage. Lindor will not require a trip to the injured list; his aching back won’t even need a cortisone shot, just rest and some pills.
Lindor admitted that he zoned out after the athletic trainers told him there wasn’t anything horribly wrong.
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