Francisco Lindor (calf) steals base in rehab game

Lindor has been out since late April with a calf strain, so the Mets will love to have him back. The only issue is that Juan Soto may not have to head to the injured list with a back injury. Soto and Lindor have only played nine games together so far this season.

Lindor played eight innings at shortstop in what is likely to be his final rehab contest before returning to New York’s lineup later this week. There should be a final decision on his status prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cubs at Citi Field.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed that Lindor will need at least one additional tune-up contest before returning to New York’s lineup, possibly as early as Wednesday’s game against the Cubs. The 32-year-old, who is working his way back from a calf strain, went 0-for-4 with a stolen base while playing the full game at shortstop on Sunday in his rehab debut. All signs still point to Lindor returning later this week.

Lindor is returning from a calf strain. The Mets haven’t made anything official, but DiComo indicates that they’re leaning towards having Lindor take part in a sim game on Monday and then getting Tuesday off. That could put him in line to be activated on Wednesday.

The superstar shortstop has been sidelined since late April due to a calf strain. He’ll likely remain on the rehab assignment through the weekend, then if all goes well, he could be cleared to return to the Mets’ lineup early next week. Lindor has hit just .226/.314/.355 with two homers, five RBI and a pair of stolen bases in 105 plate appearances over 24 games with the Mets this season.

Lindor progressed to taking live batting practice on Friday for the first time since hitting the injured list with a calf strain back in late April. The 32-year-old shortstop will go through a pair of workouts next week before potentially heading out on a minor league rehab assignment. The hops is that ramping up in a controlled environment will minimize the number of rehab contests he’ll require before returning to New York. It’s an encouraging update for the Mets and fantasy managers alike.

Lindor has also resumed baseball activities like fielding grounders and hitting in the cage. The 32-year-old will assuredly need a rehab assignment after missing over a month thus far with his calf strain, but this is the most positive development given for the shortstop since he suffered that injury. If all continues to progress, there’s a good chance that Lindor will be back before the start of July.

Mendoza mentioned that a new MRI on Wednesday showed “signs of healing,” but it sounds like Lindor is at least a month a way from returning, if not more given the potential of a rehab assignment. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo believes Lindor “figures to miss closer to two months or more.” He’s already missed the last two weeks and change, and that timeline would put him close to a July return.

“He’s going to be down quite a bit here,” Mendoza added. Lindor won’t be cleared to resume baseball activities until at least mid-May, which puts his likely return timeline somewhere in June, in a best-case scenario. The 32-year-old fantasy star hit the shelf with a left calf strain earlier this week. There isn’t an official return timeline from the Mets, but fantasy managers should anticipate Lindor missing a significant amount of time. His extended absence clears the runway for former top prospect Ronny Mauricio to make some noise at the highest level following a strong stretch at Triple-A Syracuse.

That means that even in the best-case scenario, Lindor won’t resume any baseball activity until mid-May. Mendoza also noted that the strain is in a “tricky part” of Lindor’s calf. It sounds like fantasy managers shouldn’t expect the superstar shortstop back until sometime in June at the earliest.