Mets let one slip away as Lindor misses first game of 2024

PHILADELPHIA -- Francisco Lindor woke up early on Saturday, with the intention of leaving extra time to prepare for that afternoon's game. The previous night, Lindor had exited in the seventh inning due to lower-back tightness, a minor injury that seemed aggrandized in the heat of a playoff race. If there was any possibility of taking the field, Lindor wanted to explore it.

By early afternoon, he seemed to be in good spirits despite playing coy about his availability. Following a conversation with manager Carlos Mendoza, Lindor agreed to stay out of the starting lineup but hoped to be available later in the game.

But by the final innings of a 6-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, Lindor sat in the dugout wearing sneakers instead of spikes, unable to help his team. The defeat not only prevented the Mets from continuing their hot run in the National League Wild Card race, but also kept Lindor from joining Félix Millán as the only Mets to appear in every game of a 162-game season.

“It’s a tough feat,” said teammate Pete Alonso, who’s one of only six remaining players across MLB -- along with Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna, Nick Castellanos, Willy Adames and Bobby Witt Jr. -- with a chance to appear in all 162 this year. “It’s unfortunate. Hopefully, he’s not out for too long.”

On that front, Lindor was optimistic, though he stopped short of saying he’d definitely be available for Sunday’s series finale. He and the Mets will know more in the hours leading up to that game.

Lindor will sleep on it, in other words, while his teammates attempt to sleep off Saturday’s loss to the Phillies. With rookie Luisangel Acuña subbing for Lindor at shortstop, the offense put up an early four-spot but couldn’t tack on anything in the middle innings. Bryce Harper brought the Phillies closer with a pair of homers against Luis Severino, and New York’s bullpen cracked for the tying and go-ahead runs on Cal Stevenson’s two-run double off Reed Garrett in the seventh.

Although the Mets tried to counterpunch, most notably on a J.D. Martinez would-be homer that Stevenson robbed to lead off the eighth, they weren’t able to mount a comeback with Lindor on the bench.

“Of course, every time you don’t have Lindor in the lineup, it’s going to be a different lineup,” Severino said. “But I feel like we scored runs today. The guys gave us a chance.”

If Lindor is unable to return on Sunday, his absence shouldn’t linger too much longer, which is good news for a Mets team that’s become increasingly reliant on its best player for offense. Lindor leads the club in batting average, on-base percentage, doubles and stolen bases, and ranks second behind Alonso in home runs.

He now ranks second behind Alonso in games played, as well.

“He’s always going to fight it,” Mendoza said of the decision to rest Lindor. “I just told him that this is what I thought was best for the team.”

Although Lindor typically deflects talk of individual achievements, he has acknowledged his secondary goal of playing in every game of a season. Millán was the only Met to do it back in 1975. Another, John Olerud, appeared in 162 games in 1999, but the Mets had 163 that year due to a one-game playoff against the Reds. That has kept Millán alone in the record book for decades, though Alonso can join him if he makes it into each of the Mets’ final 14 games.

“The goal is to be out there,” Alonso said. “If we’re healthy and able, then there’s no need to talk about it and question it. For him and myself, that’s in both our natures. Any day he’s able to, he’s willing to strap it on and go. I just hope him and the trainers figure it out and strap it on, and hopefully, he’s back as soon as possible.”

One day off also shouldn’t do much to affect Lindor in the MVP race, but that could change if his absence lingers longer than expected.

Right now, the Mets would rather not indulge such a thought, understanding how much harder the Wild Card push would be without their most valuable player.

“My goal is to be available every single day for the manager to put me in the lineup, but today [I] clearly wasn’t,” Lindor said. “It’s always disappointing when you’re not there to help the team.”