Mets’ Francisco Lindor ‘optimistic’ he’ll play again in regular season

Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor ramped up his baseball activities on Sunday prior to the team’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, and said after the game that he’s “optimistic” that he’ll play again in the regular season.

“I’m optimistic that I’m gonna play,” Lindor said. “I have faith, I believe in the lord. I believe in what the trainers are doing. I believe that I’m doing everything I can day in and day out to try and be in a position where I can get back and play. I want to be there as much as anybody, and the trainers want me there as much as anybody. It’s just a matter of hitting that spot that they’re going to feel safe and they’re going to feel good. And then same thing for me.”

Lindor said he accomplished his goals during the batting practice and other activities, calling it was “another slow step in the right direction.”

“I actually accomplished what I wanted to,” Lindor said. “Every day I’m pushing it to the limit and today I hit that limit and felt it was enough. The goal is to come in every day and work as hard as I can to reach hit that limit the trainers want me to hit. And then we go from there. Today I got to that threshold. Another day, another slow step in the right direction.”

When asked about the possibility of playing on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves, Lindor said he’s still taking it day-by-day. The SS last played on Sept. 15 before exiting early against the Phillies.

“It’s hard, I want to see how I wake up tomorrow, how I bounce back tomorrow,” Lindor said. “And tomorrow I’ll continue to do more stuff and go from there.”

The NL MVP candidate added that he needs to check all the boxes before playing again, and noted that he’s OK with playing through some back pain. Although, he doesn’t want to force a return and not be able to perform at the level he expects from himself.

“What needs to happen for me is to check every box. I’m pretty sure I don’t think I’m going to play pain-free. If I play this year, I don’t think it’s gonna be pain-free. I’m OK with that. I just don’t want it to be a constant pain where I can’t bend over. Then I put my teammates in a position where I’m not helping them as much as I can. That’s not fair for anybody. For me, it’s to be in a position where if it’s gonna hurt, it’s gonna come and go.”