Marcus Semien shares new Francisco Lindor warning for struggling Mets ahead of anticipated return

Earlier in June, New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza warned his players that they couldn't "sit here and wait for" star shortstop Francisco Lindor to return to the lineup and serve as a potential savior for the club. 

A Mets team that was 26-35 when Mendoza made those comments ended this past weekend at 34-43. More recently, Mets second baseman Marcus Semien shared a reminder to his teammates regarding what Lindor may and may not be once he resumes playing in big-league games for the first time since he suffered a calf injury on April 22.

Francisco Lindor will need time to (possibly) reclaim his best form

As Anthony DiComo of the MLB website shared on Monday, Semien acknowledged that "things are going to take time to get back in rhythm" for Lindor this summer. Lindor, who has a well-known history of enduring slow starts to campaigns, slashed .226/.314/.355 with a .669 OPS, two home runs and five RBI over 24 games before he went down with his latest setback. 

Such numbers aren't all that encouraging as it pertains to Lindor possibly sparking the Mets to get on some kind of hot streak, but Semien and Co. are remaining optimistic about what the club could achieve with its unofficial captain back in the lineup.

"He’s one of the best in the game," Semien said about Lindor. "We’ll take one of the best in the game in this lineup every time."

Mets have been missing "an integral part" of the team with Francisco Lindor sidelined

The Mets will play home games versus the Chicago Cubs (40-37) on Monday and Tuesday before New York learns if Lindor will be available as soon as for Wednesday's contest against the Cubs. Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who seemingly isn't panicking after the club's woeful spring, recently mentioned that Lindor will provide "elite" defense and hitting for the last-place team.

"It’s Francisco Lindor," Mets pitcher Sean Manaea added. "He’s an integral part of this team. I can’t wait to have him back and just have his presence again."

As Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News shared, FanGraphs gave the Mets less than a 15 percent chance of making the playoffs as of Monday afternoon. Whether or not Lindor's return will give Mets fans a reason to continue following the team's season through the Aug. 3 trade deadline shall be seen.