Francisco Lindor likely out until Tuesday at ‘the earliest’ with back injury

NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor has likely played his final regular-season game at Citi Field this year.

Tuesday’s series opener in Atlanta is “probably the earliest” the star shortstop would return for the Mets as he continues to deal with lower-back discomfort, manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday.

Saturday’s matchup with the Phillies marked the sixth consecutive game that Lindor was out of the lineup. Sunday’s series finale is the last game scheduled at Citi Field in the regular season, and the Mets are off Monday.

Lindor was feeling “better” Saturday but remains day-to-day, Mendoza said.

“He’s gonna go out and do more baseball activities,” Mendoza said before the game. “Hopefully it’s a little bit more than what he did yesterday. He’s gonna try to play catch again and run some sprints, take [batting practice] and then maybe some ground-balls, and see what we’ve got after that.”

The switch-hitting Lindor, 30, took swings from both sides of the plate during on-field batting practice Saturday, then ran in the right-field grass.

Asked how he felt afterward, Lindor declared “better than yesterday” as he disappeared into the tunnel in the Mets’ dugout.

Lindor exited early from the Mets’ Sept. 13 win in Philadelphia, but he later said his back started bothering him more than a week before then. He sat out of the Mets’ next game before returning to the lineup on Sept. 15, only to leave in the second inning of that road loss to the Phillies.

An MRI came back clean, but Lindor has not played since. He received a facet joint injection Thursday.

“I think it’s to numb it down, to stop the swelling and to put me in a place where I can tolerate the pain,” Lindor said after Friday’s loss to Philadelphia. “But most importantly, to try to get me back as fast as I can. And people have had great results with it, so hopefully I’m part of the side that has the good results.”

Without Lindor, the Mets have mostly used red-hot rookie Luisangel Acuña at shortstop and second baseman Jose Iglesias in the leadoff spot.

Lindor had been an ironman for the Mets before the injury, appearing in each of their first 147 games and starting 146 of them at shortstop.

After a slow start to the season, Lindor emerged as a National League MVP candidate in recent months. His .836 OPS and 27 stolen bases lead the Mets, while his 31 home runs and 86 RBI rank second on the team.

When Lindor returns, he is expected to do so as the Mets’ shortstop rather than as their designated hitter, Mendoza said.

“DHing, he’s gonna have to hit and then sit down, and somehow he’s gonna have to try to stay hot,” Mendoza said. “We haven’t gotten to that point, but the way we see it is when he’s ready to go, he’s playing shortstop for us.”

A return against the Braves on Tuesday would be optimal for the Mets, who entered Saturday with a two-game lead over Atlanta for the third and final National League wild-card spot. The three-game series in Atlanta kicks off the Mets’ final road trip of the season, which ends with three games in Milwaukee.

Despite his on-field absence, Lindor is finding ways to help his teammates amid their playoff push.

“He’s into every pitch,” Mendoza said. “He’s having conversations with the players — not only position players but with the pitching staff, coaches. He’s on the infielders if they’re not moving, so he’s trying his best to stay involved with the team and engaged, but I don’t want to see him in the dugout. I want to see him playing shortstop.”

Blow for Blackburn

It is “safe to say” Paul Blackburn’s regular season is over, Mendoza said Saturday.

The starting pitcher recently received about 10 platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections after being diagnosed with a spinal leak in his mid-back.

Blackburn resumed playing catch Wednesday, but he still needs to ramp up, which would include getting back on a mound and throwing bullpen sessions.

“I don’t think he’ll be in a game next week,” Mendoza said.

Blackburn, 30, pitched to a 5.18 ERA in five starts after the Mets acquired him from the A’s before the trade deadline.

Martinez move

With J.D. Martinez mired in an 0-for-31 slump, the veteran designated hitter was out of the Mets’ starting lineup Saturday.

Starling Marte started at DH instead, batting second.

The decision came down a combination of factors, including a chance to give the 37-year-old Martinez a break while getting hotter hitters into the lineup, Mendoza said.

“He’s a professional hitter,” Mendoza said. “It’s not the first time he’s been through a slump like this, so he will continue to grind. He will continue work on his mechanics, and he will step up. He’s too good of a hitter [not to], but in today’s case, I just felt like I needed to start the guys who are in the lineup.”

A six-time All-Star, Martinez entered Saturday hitting .235 with 16 home runs and 69 RBI in 422 at-bats. He was hitting .070 with a .093 slugging percentage and no home runs in September.

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