Mets' Francisco Lindor gets 'good news' on injured back, expects to return this season

NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor got “good news” after undergoing imaging on his injured lower back, the Mets shortstop said Monday.

Lindor did not know his specific diagnosis but said he was still dealing with soreness and tightness. He was out of the lineup Monday but said he expects to return this regular season.

“Everything seems like it’s good,” Lindor said. “It could be three to five days or it could be two to three. It depends how my back reacts.”

Lindor left during the seventh inning of Friday’s win in Philadelphia with lower back soreness, then sat out of Saturday’s loss.

He returned to the lineup Sunday and led off the game with a single, but he exited an inning later with back discomfort. Afterward, Lindor described feeling weakness in his back after taking a couple of steps toward first base on his hit.

Lindor has been playing through back discomfort for about two weeks, he said Sunday.

Lindor, 30, has been an ironman for the Mets, appearing in each of their games this season before Saturday’s and starting all but one of them at shortstop.

Despite a slow start at the plate, Lindor emerged in recent months as a National League MVP candidate — a race that also includes Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani.

Lindor’s 86 RBIs and 27 stolen bases lead the Mets, while his 31 home runs rank second on the team. His .271 average and .836 OPS are the highest among the Mets’ qualified hitters.

Now in his fourth year with the Mets, Lindor is also a clubhouse leader who called a players-only meeting after a May 29 loss dropped them a season-worst 11 games below .500. The Mets entered Monday 24 games above .500 since then and in a tie with Atlanta for the third and final NL wild-card spot.