PHILADELPHIA -- Even in his absence from the field, Francisco Lindor remains distinctive as he travels with the Mets around the country. With a mop of dyed curls atop his head, Lindor is easy to spot as he runs through his daily rehab work, which includes ground balls, games of catch and swings off a tee.
Inside the clubhouse, Lindor maintains his voice.
“He talks every day after games and connects with the guys,” manager Luis Rojas said of the $341-million shortstop, who is tentatively due back from the injured list in the second half of August.
But Lindor’s inability to help a Mets team that entered Saturday’s play having lost seven of nine still pains him.
“It sucks,” Lindor said after completing his rehab work that afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. “I want to be there. I want to help them out. I want to do whatever it takes. I want to grind with them on a daily basis. They’re working extremely hard. They’re playing hard. I feel like they’re giving everything they’ve got. We’re just not getting the results we want to get.
“I would love to be with them. I would love to struggle with them. But this is the situation that I’m in. God put me in this situation, so I deal with it. I try to support them. I try to let them know that I’m there, as much as I can be there.”
Lindor last played on July 16, when he strained his right oblique in a game against the Pirates. General manager Zack Scott later estimated that Lindor would need four to six weeks to heal. Considering Lindor has yet to swing a bat outside of tee work, it seems likely that he will trend more toward the back end of that timeframe. Rojas hopes that within the next week, Lindor can progress to more advanced cage work and game-speed defensive drills.
“We miss him on the field,” the manager said.
It’s impossible to know how much Lindor might have helped the Mets had he stayed healthy throughout the first year of his tenure in New York, considering he was batting just .228/.326/.376 with 11 homers in 87 games prior to his injury. But club officials maintain that Lindor’s influence extends far beyond the field. In addition to addressing his teammates daily after games, Lindor played a role in convincing the front office to trade for Javier Báez, who has been starting at shortstop in his absence.
Nonetheless, the Mets are eager for the day when Lindor can pair with Báez between the lines as well.
“Every day is challenging,” Lindor said. “There’s a lot of things that we have to go through, check those boxes for me to be on the field. It can be frustrating at times. That’s why you have got to be mentally tough. You’ve got a great group of guys around you -- the trainers, the coaching staff, the players, they’re doing great. They’re pushing me every single day. The trainers are doing an outstanding job of making sure I go through every box.”
On second thought …
When Rojas benched second baseman Jeff McNeil on Thursday in Miami, he said the intention was for McNeil to start all three games this weekend. But Rojas also kept McNeil out of the lineup against Phillies left-hander Ranger Suárez on Saturday, saying he preferred the way switch-hitter Jonathan Villar has been performing against lefty pitchers.
McNeil is a career .294 hitter against lefties, but Rojas feels he has been “pulling off” against same-sided pitchers in recent days. Rojas also sat left fielder Dominic Smith, who is batting .327 against lefties this season, while Villar, Kevin Pillar and Brandon Drury all started.
Keeping it cautious
Seventh-ranked Mets prospect Mark Vientos was removed from Tuesday’s game at Double-A Binghamton due to “health and safety protocols,” according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person did not reveal whether Vientos has had a positive or negative COVID-19 test, but he has not played since that time.
When Vientos returns, he will look to continue a breakout season during which he has hit .279/.350/.601 with 20 homers in 62 games. Primarily a third baseman, Vientos has seen time at first and in left field as the Mets look to increase the 21-year-old’s versatility.
Thrilled for bronze
Rojas said he was “so proud” to see the Dominic Republic defeat South Korea for a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this week. Before becoming Mets manager, Rojas had managed the Dominic team in the 2019 Premier12 qualifier.
“For the country, this is huge,” Rojas said. “This is the No. 1 game in my country. I know everyone’s proud right now once they found out that we won the bronze medal. Us Dominicans here in this clubhouse are very proud as well. I’ve got to start sending some messages.”
Former Mets who competed for the Dominican Republic at the Olympics included José Bautista, Melky Cabrera and Dario Álvarez.