The New York Mets are hosting the Philadelphia Phillies for a very important four-game series. The Mets want to retain their standing in the postseason race while the Phillies try to clinch the National League East title. There is a major question to be answered before the series begins at Citi Field: is Francisco Lindor playing against the Phillies?
The Mets' MVP candidate is dealing with a back injury and is not in the lineup for the series opener, according to Andy Martino of SNY. He could still appear in the series but has to clear several checkpoints before he's cleared again.
Francisco Lindor working to return from back injury
Martino writes the following: “It does not appear that Lindor will be able to talk his way into the lineup upon reporting to Citi Field, either. He is still progressing from the back issue that cost him this week’s series against Washington, and just resumed baseball activities on Wednesday. Lindor received good news on the back with a clean MRI on Monday. He said at the time that he could return in two to five days, and has not yet exceeded the high end of that estimate.”
The Mets will definitely miss Lindor's steady presence on both sides of the field but they are getting great production from top prospect Luisangel Acuña. Far from being just Ronald's little brother, Luis has seven hits in five games so far. New York comes into this series having swept the Washington Nationals, so momentum is on their side against a tough opponent.
The Phillies just beat the Mets in a three-game series in Philadelphia and are in a tight race with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers for a top-two seed in the league. New York is surely hoping that Lindor can make at least one appearance in this pivotal series.