Franciso Lindor was progressing Friday, which came after he reportedly got a cortisone shot for his lingering back issue.
Before the Mets’ Friday game with the Phillies, Heidi Watney reported on the Apple TV+ pregame show that the star shortstop was experiencing pain Thursday and then received a cortisone injection.
She added Lindor was feeling “much better” Friday as he works his way to the field from his sore lower back.
Neither manager Carlos Mendoza nor president of baseball operations David Stearns mentioned the shot on Friday when discussing Lindor’s injury recovery.
Still, the four-time All-Star did appear in better shape as he progressed to baseball activities, playing catch and taking batting practice.
Lindor trotted off the field afterward and excitedly said he was “feeling good.”
Prior to batting practice, manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that whenever Lindor took the next step to performing baseball activities that it would be “100 percent” possible for him to be playing shortstop and leading off the next day if he felt ready.
“He’s Francisco Lindor. We’re talking about a potential MVP here,” Mendoza said. “When he says he is ready to go, it doesn’t matter where we are [winning or losing]. He’s in the lineup.”
If it were May, the Mets might be more willing to give a healthy Lindor an extra day to run through the motions, Mendoza admitted.
However, they don’t have that luxury as the Mets entered play tied with the Diamondbacks for the final wild-card spot and two games ahead of the Braves.
Stearns also said he is optimistic that Lindor will play again this season.
Friday marked the Mets’ fifth game without Lindor after the four-time All-Star had an early exit from Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Phillies with back discomfort.
He left before the bottom of the second inning after sitting out Saturday’s game in Philadelphia.
Lindor had been experiencing back discomfort for about two weeks before tweaking it when he awkwardly stepped on second base a week ago.
However, without Lindor, who had hit 10-for-37 including two home runs in his last 10 games, the Mets had gone 4-0 — including a 10-6 win to delay the Phillies’ playoff clinch Thursday night.
“I think it has been a continuation of what this group has done all year,” Stearns said Friday. “Whenever someone has gone down, whenever we’ve needed someone to step up, whenever it feels like backs are against the wall a little bit, someone else has stepped up.
“And we’ve seen that again and it’s not really a surprise to me at this point.”