Now more than ever, Mets need a healthy Lindor and Senga

This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo's Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW YORK -- Heading into Spring Training, the obvious choices for Mets MVP and Cy Young were Francisco Lindor and Kodai Senga.

With less than two weeks left in the season, the club’s fortunes will hinge at least partially upon the ability of those two to take the field.

Lindor, who jammed his lower back on an awkward play at second base on Friday night in Philadelphia, is at least trending in the right direction. An MRI performed on his back on Monday came back negative, and although Lindor doesn’t know quite how long he’ll remain sidelined, he expects to return before the end of the week.

Clearly, the Mets could use him. I’ll let them explain the obvious for you:

Carlos Mendoza: “When he’s not in the lineup, you see it.”

Edwin Díaz: “We feel bad, because we know we need him.”

J.D. Martinez: “Obviously, he’s a big part of the team, but we’ve got other guys here who have to step up.”

Putting aside team needs for the moment, Lindor had done well to tighten the National League MVP race in recent weeks. Popular opinion still has him trailing Shohei Ohtani, however, so the longer Lindor’s absence lasts, the dimmer his MVP prospects become.

As for Senga, Mets officials have plotted a course of action that would have him return from the injured list as soon as he’s eligible on Sept. 25 -- the second game of a crucial three-game series in Atlanta that could make or break the Mets’ entire season.

It’s unlikely that Senga, who has made just one start due to strains of his right posterior shoulder capsule and his left calf muscle, would be stretched out enough to pitch deep into that game. But if he can provide an inning or two as an opener ahead of one of the other starters, it could give the team a significant boost against an injury-ravaged Braves offense.

“When he’s healthy, man, that was electric when we saw him pitch that game against the Braves,” Mendoza said, referring to Senga’s lone start of the season, on July 26. “But … I’ve got to wait and see before we can have this type of conversation. I just like where he’s at physically, and hopefully he’s a factor for us down the stretch.”

President of baseball operations David Stearns offered even more confidence over the weekend, saying he’s “pretty optimistic” Senga will be able to pitch before the end of the regular season. And if that does come to pass, Senga would be lined up to provide additional outs in a potential Wild Card Series and beyond. The Mets will take anything they can get from the pitcher who led the team in ERA, strikeouts and wins last season, who throws in the upper 90s, and who features one of the most unique and effective off-speed arsenals in the game.

Although Mets officials have discussed the idea of using Senga out of the bullpen (and the 31-year-old said he’s open to it), they’re far more likely to deploy him as an opener so he can follow a more traditional and rigid warmup routine.

“I don’t want to get too far ahead, but he continues to progress well,” Mendoza said. “We’ll see what we’ve got.”