Francisco Lindor’s return to Mets gets closer with Double-A rehab assignment

PHILADELPHIA — Francisco Lindor’s long-awaited return to the Mets will take a big step forward on Friday, when the shortstop begins a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton. Lindor has been out since April 22 with a calf strain.

The Mets have been confident that Lindor would return to big-league action by the end of June.

The plan is for Lindor to play five to six innings on Friday, take Saturday off and play again Sunday (either with Binghamton or with Triple-A Syracuse depending on weather). The team will assess Lindor at that point. Manager Carlos Mendoza said Lindor won’t necessarily need to play a full nine innings in the minors before returning to the majors. That return could come as soon as next week, when the Mets host the Cubs and Phillies at Citi Field.

Mendoza said Lindor could still need some days off upon his return and that the team will consider slotting him at DH occasionally to ease his comeback.

“We know what he represents to the team and what he brings to the table,” Mendoza said. “It’s good for everyone to know in there that he’s getting closer. I’m pretty sure the guys are going to feel it.”

New York needs him. The Mets enter a weekend series with the Phillies at 33-41, last place in the National League East. New York’s inconsistent offense can largely be blamed on the fact that its two best hitters, Lindor and Juan Soto, played together for only eight games this season. (Lindor’s injury in April came the night Soto returned from missing 16 games with his own calf strain.) The Mets are 25-25 without Lindor.

Lindor was off to a slow start when he went down, carrying a .226 batting average, .314 on-base percentage and .355 slugging percentage through 105 plate appearances. He has just five RBIs this season.

Any chance the Mets have at getting back into contention rests on Lindor, Soto and the recently red-hot Bo Bichette sparking an offense that sits 14th in the National League in runs per game.

The Mets are also waiting on a return from Jorge Polanco, who is in the midst of his own minor-league rehab assignment. Polanco has played just 14 games this season.