Francisco Lindor said that an MRI on his sore back on Monday did not show any structural damage, and he hopes to be back in the New York Mets lineup this week.
“I’m great, I’m great,” the shortstop said before Monday’s game against Washington. “I still have a little bit of pain, but we got 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.”
Lindor had to leave early in games against Philadelphia on Friday and Sunday, and he didn’t play on Saturday.
“When I can’t do what I love the most, which is play defense, that’s when I said something,” Lindor said. “I was a little timid on ground balls.”
Lindor is currently hitting .271 with 31 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases.
The four-time All-Star was batting .193 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs up until May 20, but since then, he has been batting .307 with 24 home runs and 64 RBIs in his last 101 games.
“I was expecting the worst, to be honest with you,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “For Lindor to not be in the lineup one day and then to be in the lineup and then come out of the game after one inning — that’s pretty telling, because I know how hard and how tough this guy is and he’s going to play through injuries.”
Lindor said he did not get a cortisone injection.
“They just said it’s back acting up — the medical term, I can’t tell you that,” Lindor said. “I listened to a certain point. As soon as they said no structural damage, I tuned out.”