NEW YORK — Shortstop Francisco Lindor said he is “optimistic” he will play again for the New York Mets before the regular season concludes next Sunday, stopping short of saying he is 100% confident he will return from a back injury over the club’s final six games.
Lindor has not played a full game for the Mets since Sept. 11. Two days later, he exited a win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh inning with back discomfort. He took the next day off and played just one inning on Sept. 15 before being removed because the pain made bending over difficult.
He then missed the Mets’ entire seven-game homestand against the Washington Nationals and Phillies. The Mets went 6-1 and took three of four from the first-place Phillies without him, maintaining a two-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the final National League wild card. The clubs begin a pivotal three-game series in Atlanta on Tuesday. Lindor’s status for the clash isn’t promising…