• Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff WriterSep 16, 2024, 04:32 PM ET

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      ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.

NEW YORK — Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said he “should be back” before the regular season ends after an MRI exam on his lower back Monday revealed no structural damage, a huge relief for a club jockeying for a playoff spot with less than two weeks remaining.

Lindor said he should start physical activity Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how his back feels. He estimated he could return to the Mets’ lineup in the next two to five days. He said he assumes he will have to manage and tolerate pain whenever he does return.

Lindor said the expectation was he would need a shot for the pain, but doctors decided it wasn’t necessary. He was instead prescribed pain medication.

“We’ll see how I wake up [Tuesday],” Lindor said. “If the trainers allow me to move, I’m going to come in and force their hands. But I respect their decision. I respect the way they go about things. We have one of the best training staffs in the league, so I’ll listen to their input.”

Lindor said back pain has hindered him in recent weeks, but it didn’t impact his availability until the Mets’ series against the Phillies in Philadelphia over the weekend. The discomfort forced him to leave Friday’s series opener early. He then missed Saturday’s game entirely — the first time he didn’t appear in a game this season. He led off Sunday’s game with a single, but he exited the game in the second inning. The Mets lost Saturday and Sunday after a blowout win Friday.

Lindor, 30, said he does not believe playing in Sunday’s game worsened the injury.

“I don’t think so because I felt fine,” Lindor said. “I felt good. It wasn’t like a freak accident where I just feel and [got] reinjured. It just got tight on me. So, I don’t think yesterday’s situation put me back. Next thing you know, I didn’t feel comfortable enough to stay on the field. When I can’t do what I love the most, which is play defense, that’s when I said something. I was a little timid taking ground balls.”

The Mets took Monday’s series opener against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field 2-1 in 10 innings. Coupled with the Atlanta Braves‘ 9-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York now has a one-game lead for the final National League wild-card spot.

Lindor has been the engine in the club’s improbable turnaround from 11 games under .500 in late May as its leadoff hitter and defensive captain. Despite a woeful April, Lindor is batting .271 with 31 home runs, 27 stolen bases and an .836 OPS in 148 games while playing as an elite shortstop.

The nightly all-around performance, which has produced the highest fWAR and third-highest bWAR in the National League, spurred debate about Lindor possibly challenging Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP. But Ohtani was always considered the runaway favorite, and Lindor’s setback will all but squash his slim chances.

It could have been much worse. That’s what Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had feared. Lindor had missed six games over the past three seasons before not playing Saturday. For Lindor to not play Saturday and remove himself from Sunday’s game, Mendoza expected the worst Monday, the type of development that would have shattered the Mets’ season less than two weeks until the playoffs begin. But that didn’t happen. So, the Mets still have hope of not just reaching the postseason but of a deep October run with their best player on the field.

“I think we got the best news,” Mendoza said.