2:09PM: Mendoza spoke with SNY and other media today about Lindor’s condition, saying that he feels “better” but the “most likely scenario” is that Lindor won’t play until Tuesday at the earliest.
9:25AM: Francisco Lindor’s bad back has kept him out of the Mets’ lineup for each of the team’s last five games, but the star shortstop is showing some positive signs of recovery. Lindor told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo) that he received a facet joint injection on Thursday, which was meant to help quell or at least reduce the back discomfort that Lindor had been trying to play through for most of September prior to this recent shutdown period.
“I’m trying to do whatever it takes to come back as soon as I can,” Lindor said. “Without [the injection]…it didn’t feel like I could get back sooner rather than later. With the injection, they said there was a possibility that can happen. I believe in the trainers. I trust them, what the input is. And we went and got it done.”
The initial results of the injection are encouraging, as Lindor said he was able to bend over to tie his shoes without feeling any pain on Friday. He was also able to take part in some limited baseball activities such as a batting practice, and a wider range of workouts are slated for today. It isn’t entirely out of the question that Lindor could even play in today’s game with the Phillies (probably as a designated hitter in order to limit any extra strain on his back), but both Lindor and the Mets are naturally trying to be cautious in trying to prevent any greater injury.
Missing Lindor at this crucial time of the season has added even more drama to the Mets’ bid for a playoff berth, though New York has managed a 4-1 record in the MVP candidate’s absence. The 85-69 Mets hold a two-game lead over the Braves for the last wild card spot, while also remaining not far behind the Diamondbacks (86-68) and Padres (88-66) for a higher wild card position. The Mets’ fate might hinge on a critical three-game set in Atlanta beginning on Tuesday, and the club would obviously love to have Lindor available for that de facto playoff series.
Another late-season reinforcement could also emerge for the Mets in time for their last series of the regular season, and then potentially into the playoffs. Kodai Senga will make a rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse today, and is set to throw a maximum of 35 pitches over one or two innings of work. As both manager Carlos Mendoza and president of baseball operations David Stearns told reporters (including the New York Post’s Mike Puma), should Senga emerge in good shape from that rehab outing, he could work as an opener at some point during the Mets’ series with the Brewers that begins on Friday.
“These situations are always fluid,” Stearns noted, and Mendoza said that Senga could potentially work in more of a traditional relief role than in working as an opener. Working out of the bullpen might better position Senga for inclusion on a postseason roster because (on paper) the Mets wouldn’t have need for an opener in a playoff game, though it is also fair to wonder if New York would even feel comfortable having Senga on a playoff roster considering that he has barely pitched all season.
A capsule strain and a triceps injury delayed Senga’s 2024 debut until July 26, and in the right-hander’s very first game back, Senga suffered a severe left calf strain that immediately sent him back to the 60-day injured list. September 25 is the earliest date that Senga can be activated, and pitching today for Syracuse should line him up for a potential trip to a big league mound on Friday in Milwaukee.
Senga was one of the stories of the 2023 season, as his first year in Major League Baseball resulted in a seventh-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting and a runner-up spot in the NL Rookie of the Year race. Expected to be the new cornerstone of the Mets’ rotation, Senga has instead been a virtual non-factor in the 2024 campaign, though is is very intriguing to consider what a bullpen version of Senga could bring to New York in its playoff chase and perhaps in October. If nothing else, getting back to action would provide some comfort for Senga heading into 2025.
Surely, it’s certainly good that he’s showing positive signs of recovery. Would truly hate to see him displaying negative sides of recovery.
Glass houses buddy. You could not even write a two sentence comment without screwing up signs and sides. Maybe stop being a jerk.
What crawled up your ass and died, fffffffffbbbbbbbbb?
Are jokes not allowed? I’m new.
Go back to bed fffbbb a.k.a. “InsideOut”… you woke up on the wrong side again. Trolls gotta troll, I guess.
You mad bro?
Facet joint injections, much like all cortisone shots, are basically steroids reducing inflammation and allowing faster recovery time. MLB and their policies are super sketchy.
What’s sketchy about it?
Therapeutic exemptions are sketchy.
But anti- inflammatory steroids are not performance enhancers.
Not all steroids are sketchy. Some are literally legit medical treatments.
Joggin’George;
It’s long been said that children see things in black and white, adults in shades of gray.
At least 80% of the posts on this board over the years fit that range – many of from posters that appear to be over 40 and 50 years-old. To them everything is one end of the spectrum or not.
Nothing anyone can do. Immature, inexperienced people have taken over both social media as well as the mainstream media. Playing “Gotcha” and “So There” is a way of life in much of both America and the world today.
A corticosteroid like cortisone or prednisone helps reduce inflammation. Corticosteroids are prescribed by doctors everywhere under controlled circumstances for a variety of conditions and are immensely helpful to literally millions of patients. They do not help build muscle or improve athletic performance. They simply let an athlete get back to the field of play sooner. In layman’s terms, a corticosteroid is basically a really powerful version of Tylenol.
Anabolic steroids build muscle and can dramatically alter athletic performance levels. They are also illegal in most places as they can cause damage to many internal organs, and can also cause cancers, and can have long lasting negative effects on a person.
The two types of steroids have nothing in common, aside from being drugs.
The mute button is an anti inflammatory treatment as well.
Stop bringing facts into a conversation.
Probably about time to infuse extra days off and dh time into his season. Everyone can appreciate the only handful of players who can play 155-160 games anymore but it’s more important to be healthier from September on.
MVP candidate? If Ohtani doesn’t win, their ought to be an investigation. And no, I’m not a Dodgers fan. Plus, they went 4-1 without him. (I know that’s too small of a sample to mean anything, but it just felt right to add).
The only reason not to give him the award is because he might win it every year for a while. Maybe give someone else a chance.
It’s dumb reasoning, but I could see it happening.
Is Ohtani more valuable to the Dodgers than Lindor is to the Mets?
Probably yes. But it is the Most Valuable Player.
Traditionally “most valuable player” has had flexible meaning. I tend to look at it as “best player”. Sometimes you take situation into account, but Ohtani is so head and shoulders above the rest that, to me, it’s him all the way.
@Noggin’George MVPs are not something you simply give others a chance at they re earned.
That said Ohtani obviously has an advantage as his dual skillset provides alot more value. But this year that dual advantage was not in play, every player in the NL started the season with the same stats and not playing the dual roles.
I agree, the award should go to who earned it.
If it’s Ohtani then hive it to him.
Hard to imagine that happening in baseball’s first 50 HR /50 SB+ season.
The best part about Ohtani might be how humble he always appears. Even after that 6 hit, 3 hr, 11 RBI, 2 SB game that made him the first 50/50 player.
I’ll be surprised if Ohtani doesn’t secure 80+% of the 1st place votes. Personally I think such a historic season should make it a unanimous decision.
“It’s a dumb reasoning”…That “reasoning” is oft used. There’s a reason Michael Jordan/LeBron James didn’t win 10 straight MVPS at any point. It hurts/hinders your league’s marketing at some point.
Since it’s Ohtani’s first year in the NL(And he went “historical”), he’s a lock to win NL MVP. But I could definitely see that type of logic used next year if he has a similar year.
I still think it’s dumb reasoning. You give the award to who deserves it most, period.
Ohtani will, and should win it, but he will probably lose some votes because he didn’t play defense.
Ohtani doesn’t deserve the MVP. He didn’t hit for the cycle in the 50-50 game.
Nor did he hit for the home run cycle.
4A
MVP candidate & MVP winner are 2 different things
I wouldn’t say the Mets playoff chances “might” hinge on their series with the Braves. Realistically it absolutely does. That series will almost entirely decide the final wild card spot.
Jose Iglesias has been a Godsend
sign him for 3 years
Iglesias has been much better than I and many others envisioned. The Mets should offer him a 1 yr extension at $8M. He might turn back into a pumpkin, so I wouldn’t offer multiple yrs unless Iglesias prefers maybe a 2/$12M situation.
I would thank him for the tremendous value of an outlier year and move on.
Often times, that is the smart move with a player having an “outlier” year. I’ve seen teams go way overboard in this situation and offer this sort of player a 3 or 4 yr deal.
You’ll regret giving him a multi-year deal. Don’t pay him next year for what he’s doing now.
The Mets should rest lindor until at least the first game Atlanta. Than based on Sunday game outcome; if the Mets are 3 games ahead of the Braves going to Atlanta I would rest him till Wednesday. If they are only 1 game lead I would start him.
I don’t see the Mets having a deep post season run without him playing. He makes the Mets a better team. This season could be the best chance for a while of the Mets having a good post season run. The Mets have a lot of free agents this off season and a lot of new faces will be in 2025
The Mets should be better in the coming years.
At least that’s been the plan.