PHILADELPHIA — Francisco Lindor’s sore back cost him his second start of the season on Saturday, but Mets officials were leaving open the possibility the MVP candidate would be available off the bench against the Phillies.
A night earlier the Mets shortstop departed in the seventh inning after he “jammed” the back when he didn’t slide into second base and ran past the bag on a double.
The Mets recalled Luisangel Acuna from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday and gave the 22-year-old infielder/outfielder his first major league start at shortstop, batting ninth at Citizens Bank Park.
Lindor, entering the day, had played in all 147 games this season, starting 146.
“I’m not too concerned,” manager Carlos Mendoza said before the game. “He’s feeling definitely better after getting treatment today, he was moving around in the weight room, but I think we’re just playing it safe here and we are just going to give him an extra few hours and see if he is available at some point during the game.”
Lindor tried to talk his way into the lineup, according to Mendoza, but it was decided that caution should be exuded with the team’s best player and most irreplaceable piece.
“He wants to play,” Mendoza said. “But at the same time, he knows I don’t want to put him in a situation where he is overcompensating and that leads to something else.
“I thought it was best that he at least rests the first few innings of the game and then we’ll see what happens.”
