Mets' Francisco Lindor Takes Significant Step Towards Return

On Wednesday, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor took a huge step towards returning from his strained oblique injury.

The Mets have sorely missed Francisco Lindor's presence on the field since he suffered a strained right oblique last month.

But the good news is, he appears to be getting closer to a rehab assignment. For the first time since going down with the oblique issue on July 16, Lindor was seen taking batting practice at Citi Field on Wednesday ahead of the Mets-Nationals doubleheader.

Francisco Lindor is taking BP at Citi Field this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/0uS8Vv3bQH

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 11, 2021

This is a great sign for Lindor, given the fact that oblique injuries significantly affect players when swinging the bat. It is also a positive sign for the Mets who have basically been playing without Lindor for the entirety of the second-half, which has seen them go 9-15 since the All-Star break.

"It's great to see him ramping things up," said manager Luis Rojas prior to the Mets-Nationals doubleheader on Wednesday. "He gave good feedback after and it's a good step moving forward."

As far as setting a timeline for Lindor to start a rehab assignment, Rojas says they are still taking the week-to-week approach with him.

"It was a good day and there's nothing more to say," he said. "It will be a lighter day of work for him tomorrow to see how his body responds."

The Mets initially put Lindor's timeline at 4-6 weeks. And as he approaches the four week mark on Friday, it appears he is right on track to return within this time frame.

Along with taking batting practice, Lindor did live fielding and base running simulations as well.

The Mets also acquired Lindor's good friend Javier Báez at the trade deadline in order to fill in for him in the interim at shortstop. But so far, it hasn't worked out (6-for-34), and now Báez is dealing with lower back tightness.

When Lindor does return, Báez will either shift over to second base, which would form a deadly double play combination up the middle, or he will move to third base with Jeff McNeil sticking at second, where he is better defensively. 

There is no question that Lindor's 2021 season has been disappointing (.228/.326/.376 with a .702 OPS and 11 home runs plus 36 RBIs), due to the fact that he has not even come close to playing like the superstar that he was expected to be after signing a 10-year, $341 million contract with the Mets prior to the start of the regular season. But in his last 15 games, he was starting to heat up at the plate (.283/.421/.413, two home runs and 11 RBIs). 

Regardless, Lindor's leadership, defensive abilities and bat have all been missed by a Mets team that could certainly use a player of his caliber right now after losing 9 of their last 11 games to fall to third place.

Báez Update

Speaking of Báez, Rojas says he still needs to check on his availability for today's doubleheader, but that the 28-year-old was adamant about coming into the game last night.

Báez exited Sunday's series finale with the Phillies with left hip tightness, which has since moved to his lower back. 

Báez did not start in Tuesday night's suspended contest against the Nationals, but the Mets are optimistic that he will be ready very soon given how he has responded to treatment. 

Pitching Probables

Instead of going with a bullpen game to complete the final eight innings of Game 1's suspended contest today, Rich Hill will take over on the mound for the Mets to kickoff the doubleheader.

Although the initial plan was to give Hill an extra day of rest to have him start on Thursday, he will pitch on six-days rest this afternoon. 

According to Rojas, Hill asked to come into the game on Tuesday night, after the rain delay. However, the game was ultimately suspended. Following Hill, Marcus Stroman will start Game 2 in tonight's seven-inning contest. 

With the Mets now in need of a starter for tomorrow, Rojas says it is still TBA but that Trevor Williams, who has joined the team at Citi Field, is a candidate to pitch. 

The Mets acquired Williams from the Cubs as a part of the Báez trade. The right-hander has a 2.25 ERA in two starts in Syracuse since joining the Mets organization.

As Rojas went onto note, righty Geoff Hartlieb is today's 27th man.