MRI clean, but Lindor (back) out of lineup a day after departing early

NEW YORK -- The Mets breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday ahead of a pivotal seven-game homestand against the Nationals and Phillies after receiving news that Francisco Lindor’s prognosis on his lower back soreness wasn’t too serious.

After being removed from Sunday’s series finale at Citizens Bank Park after one inning, Lindor underwent MRI imaging to determine the severity of the lower-back pain that had been bothering him for at least 10 days. The results showed no structural damage, with the plan moving forward involving rest and treatment. Lindor was not in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener vs. the Nationals, with Jose Iglesias stepping in at shortstop and as the team's leadoff hitter.

“I still have a little bit of pain, but we had good news,” Lindor said. “Everything seems like it’s good, it could be three to five days, or it could be two to three -- depends on how my back reacts.”

Lindor shared that the pain he’s been experiencing has shifted depending on the day, ranging from tightness and soreness after the game, to a dull pain during games. He doesn’t believe the game action over the past couple of days did anything to aggravate the injury, but said that there were moments where the pain became more noticeable.

“I felt fine, I felt good -- it wasn’t like a freak accident where I reinjured it. It just got tight on me,” Lindor said. “I just felt like I could play through it. And the next thing you know, I didn’t feel comfortable enough to stay on the field. When I can’t stay on the field to do what I love most, which is play defense, that’s when I said something. When I was a little timid on the ground balls.”

After discussions with team doctors, Lindor does not currently need a shot or injection in his back. In the immediate future, it’s about pain tolerance and passing mobility tests while showing up as asymptomatic during baseball activities.

Lindor is optimistic that he should be back before the regular season ends.

“Honestly, relief. Really good news,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “... I think we got the best news. Like [Lindor] said, it could be three to five [days], two to three, who knows? But the hope is that he’ll be a player for us before the year is over. So, I was expecting the worst to be honest.”

For the time being, Luisangel Acu?a and Iglesias are the contingency options at shortstop, with Iglesias continuing to handle second base duties as well. Lindor’s value to the Mets is immense -- he’s played in 148 of New York’s 149 games this season entering Monday, and ranks fifth in the Majors in fWAR (7.4) while slashing .271/.342/.494 with 31 homers and 27 stolen bases.