It may be too little, too late, but there’s a chance Francisco Lindor is back with the Mets on Wednesday, according to Carlos Mendoza.
The Mets have been waiting for Lindor to return from a strained left calf since April. After picking up a pair of hits and playing eight innings at shortstop in a minor league rehab game for Triple-A Syracuse in Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, Lindor could be part of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Citi Field against the Cubs.
After the Mets lost 9-6 Tuesday, Mendoza said he would talk to the front office and trainers to see if Lindor could “potentially” play Wednesday.
With his return imminent, his teammates are ready.
“It’s exciting,” Bo Bichette said. “We haven’t played at full strength pretty much the whole season, and we’re still not, but having him back is a huge boost.”
Bichette said that in Lindor’s absence, he has stayed focused on shortstop rather than working at third base as well, and president of baseball operations David Stearns said that although Lindor is “a big part of” the Mets possibly turning their season around, “We also can’t put everything on Francisco to come back at a time where he hasn’t been playing baseball very much and expect him to put us on his back.”
When he returns, Lindor will play shortstop, but he will likely get days off and games at DH to try to keep him healthy.
The Post reported in the offseason about issues within the Mets clubhouse last season, including an incident involving Lindor and Jeff McNeil, now with the A’s, and as a chilly relationship between Lindor and Juan Soto.
Stearns said Tuesday that despite the team’s struggles so far this season, he’s not aware of any problems with the team’s chemistry.
“My observation is those guys have meshed pretty well,” Stearns said of the team’s roster, which got an overhaul in the offseason. “I think we’re playing hard. That doesn’t mean we’re always playing well. I think the guys care about winning. I have not seen a clubhouse cohesion issue.”
Much of Stearns’ success as an executive came in small-market Milwaukee.
Now, as he said Tuesday, “The benefit of this job [with the Mets] is we have access to everyone in the player universe. It’s very different [from] some other markets. That’s a benefit for us. It requires me — and us — to do work a little bit differently.”
That’s produced mixed results so far, with Soto playing at an elite level, but other expensive additions either playing poorly or dealing with extensive injuries.
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Luis Robert Jr. (lumbar spine disc herniation) and Jorge Polanco (Achilles bursitis) are doing baseball activities, with Robert taking normal batting practice, but Polanco is still having “some good days, not so good others” while running.
The Mets claimed outfielder Jared Oliva off waivers from the Giants. The 30-year-old was optioned to Syracuse. He’s appeared in 33 games over parts of three seasons in the majors, including seven with San Francisco this year.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell was tossed after a bizarre play in the seventh inning. Michael Busch walked with Pete Crow-Armstrong on first.
Crow-Armstrong was attempting to steal and briefly slid off the bag, where Bichette tagged him. Crow-Armstrong was ruled out after the Mets challenged the call because he touched second and then left the base.