Francisco Lindor was on the field before Wednesday’s game against the Nationals, playing catch and doing some light agility drills.
But the shortstop is still dealing with the back discomfort that’s plagued him since he left Friday’s game in Philadelphia after stepping awkwardly on second base.
He returned for one inning on Sunday before the back forced him from the game.
Carlos Mendoza said that because Lindor isn’t doing much baseball activity, it’s still unknown when he might return to the lineup.
It was nearly a given that Lindor would rest through the series against the Nationals, but with the first-place Phillies coming to Citi Field on Thursday and the Mets in a fight for an NL wild card, Lindor’s absence continues to be large.
“I would say this continues to be day-to-day,” Mendoza said. “We have to put him through a series of exercises before we make a decision when he’s ready to play.”
The emergence of Luisangel Acuña has helped the Mets survive the loss of Lindor, at least for a few games.
Acuña was back at shortstop Wednesday against the Nationals a day after his breakout performance in Tuesday’s win, when he had three hits — including his first MLB home run — and his first RBI.
“We know the talent and the tools are there,’’ Mendoza said. “But the one thing is where we are [in the season] and the meaning of every pitch, every play and every game. The way he’s handling it, there are some really good signs there.”
The Mets had bypassed Acuña when the rosters expanded earlier in the month in favor of Red Sox castoff Pablo Reyes.
And Acuña’s numbers in the minors this season were far from good, which made it fair to wonder how well the 22-year-old was developing at Triple-A after being a key piece to the trade last season that sent Max Scherzer to Texas.
Asked if it were possible Acuña was bored in the minors and that might have led to his struggles, Mendoza said, “Probably.”
“I’ve seen that before,’’ Mendoza said. “You see guys in the minor leagues that are very talented and have got tools. They get bored. Sometimes you put them under these lights and it clicks. It’s only three games, but he’s shown signs that are pretty good. You see it the other way, too. They kill it at Triple-A and it’s a different story under the lights, especially in New York.”
As Mendoza noted, there is a significant adjustment to be made between the majors and the minors and different players react to that change in their own way — both in good and bad.
The early returns on Acuña have been positive.
“The minor leagues are different and you can tell when they get under the bright lights,’’ Mendoza said. “The one thing he tells me is, ‘I see the ball so much better here.’ That’s the difference. You never know.”
Mendoza cautioned more than once that it’s so far a very small sample size for Acuña, who made his MLB debut on Saturday and was back in the lineup for a second straight night at Citi Field on Wednesday.
“We knew we had a good player and the tools are there,’’ Mendoza said. “It’s been a few games, but I like what I’m seeing.”