Francisco Lindor went 0-for-4 in his return from the IL on Tuesday night, but most importantly, the star shortstop came out of a full nine innings still feeling strong and reported no issues with his oblique.
"I felt good," Lindor said after New York's 8-0 loss to the MLB-leading Giants. "Felt like I had good swings, felt like I was moving good on defense. My body never felt out of rhythm, so it was a positive."
In his first game action since July 16, Lindor put the ball in play in all four of his at-bats, and was able to test his swing out from both sides of the plate, and felt 100 percent with both his righty and lefty swing, a source of relief for both himself and the Mets.
"I actually felt good from both sides," Lindor said. "I was a little scared. I was nervous coming into the game. I don't know if it was the butterflies of playing again or the uncertainty of if I was gonna react the way I wanted to react over three hours…but I felt good."
Lindor will have to shake the rust off as quickly as possible, as he didn't go on a rehab assignment despite missing more than a month, and because of that lack of action, he will likely be eased back into his everyday role at shortstop. But that will be something he, the coaches, and the training staff evaluate regularly, but the slumping Mets desperately need him in the lineup, especially after he was batting .353 in his last 44 plate appearances before the oblique strain.
"The plan is to take it day by day," Lindor said. "I feel good, I was a little delayed with the media because I was getting some treatment, but I feel good. We'll see how I wake up tomorrow. God willing I feel good, and then we'll base it on the trainers, on Rojas, what the team needs and how I feel. We'll make a team decision and see what happens tomorrow. I'd love to say 'yes, I'm playing tomorrow,' but I really don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. I feel good though."
Lindor was used to hearing boos from the Citi Field crowd when he was slumping at the plate earlier this season, but he received a loud ovation when he stepped up to the plate for the first time on Tuesday night, as fans hoped he would provide the team with a boost to pull off a miracle and begin a climb back towards first place.
"They gave me a little boost," Lindor said. "I loved it. Coming back home and feeling the fans, they gave me the extra boost I needed. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous and a little anxious, but they made it a little easier for me tonight."
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