Francisco Lindor understands what he will have to face when he returns to the New York Mets lineup.
“If I play this year, I don’t think it will be pain-free, and I’m OK with that. I don’t want it to be in constant pain where I can’t bend over, then I’m putting my team in a position where I’m not helping them as much as I can,” he said Sunday.
“That’s not fair for anybody. For me, it’s to be in a position where if it’s going to hurt, it’s going to come and go.”
Lindor has missed seven games in a row due to a sore back and has only played one inning in the last nine games. The star shortstop received a numbing injection on Thursday for the facet joints on each side of his spine.
“It definitely made a little bit more mild, but I didn’t fully take it away,” he said after a 2-1 win over Philadelphia.
Lindor spoke in the Mets clubhouse while his daughters, Kalina and Amapola, played nearby.
He left his last game on September 15 against Philadelphia after just one inning.
“Last Sunday I couldn’t really walk. I was rolling out of bed,” he said. “Right now, I can touch my daughters and make sure they’re staying here with me.”
Lindor has been working out on the field before games, hitting, running, throwing, taking grounders, and doing soft toss. However, he hasn’t hit off pitchers or run the bases.
Lindor has a batting average of .271 with 31 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases. The four-time All-Star was hitting .193 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs through May 20, but since then, he has a batting average of .307 with 24 home runs and 64 RBIs in his last 101 games.
“We all play with pain. I think players would be lying if they say, oh, I feel 100%,” he said. “There’s something that’s bothering them.”
