Why Mets aren't worried about Francisco Lindor toe injury ahead of summer

Almost immediately after the New York Mets confirmed that Francisco Lindor suffered a broken pinky toe when he was hit by a pitch during the June 4 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, some fans understandably wondered if that setback could bother the star shortstop throughout the remainder of the season. 

While speaking with reporters on Sunday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza explained why the club believes Lindor can play through his injury until further notice. 

"I don’t think this is something that he’s going to have to play through the whole year," Mendoza said about Lindor, as shared by Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News. "We feel like at some point the fracture will heal."

Lindor has appeared in nine games since he went down with the broken toe. The Mets won the first six of those matchups before they dropped three in a row at home to the Tampa Bay Rays. Per Tim Britton of The Athletic, the Mets hadn't been swept once this season before Sunday's 9-0 loss at Citi Field. 

According to Baseball Reference, Lindor has slashed .273/.351/.364 with a .715 OPS, three doubles and two RBI in his nine games since the initial injury. ESPN stats show that Lindor ended the weekend second on the team with 14 home runs, second with a .279 average and third with 38 RBI on the campaign. 

"It’s getting better," Mendoza added about Lindor's toe. "It’s all about pain tolerance. It feels like, day by day, he’s getting better. There’s better days than others, but what I’m getting from the trainers is [that] hopefully in the next couple of weeks, he’ll be a lot better."

While the Mets limped into Monday following the weekend slump, they nevertheless held a National League-best record of 45-27 at that time. First-place New York will next begin a three-game series at the third-place Atlanta Braves (31-39) on Tuesday evening. 

"Get him off his feet a little bit, but trying to keep his bat in the lineup, obviously his presence," Mendoza said about why Lindor served as the designated hitter for what became a blowout loss on Sunday. "With the off day coming up [on Monday], trying to buy some extra time there."

It remains to be seen if Lindor will need to miss the occasional game ahead of the All-Star break as he attempts to manage what he hopes won't be a lingering issue.