Francisco Lindor took to the field before Wednesday's game against the Nationals, playing catch and doing some light agility drills.
But the shortstop has been plagued by back soreness since leaving Friday's game at Philadelphia after stepping awkwardly onto second base.
He pitched one inning on Sunday before leaving the game with an injury.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said it's still unclear when Lindor will return to the lineup because he hasn't been in much baseball action.
It was all but certain that Lindor would be rested through the series against the Nationals, but his absence will still loom large as the first-place Phillies come to Citi Field on Thursday with the Mets battling for the National League wild card.
“I think this is going to change day to day,” Mendoza said. “We need to get him through a series of practices before we can make a decision on when he can play.”
The emergence of Luis Ángel Acuña could help the Mets weather Lindor's absence for at least a few games.
Acuña returned to shortstop on Wednesday against the Nationals, a day after a big game on Tuesday when he recorded three hits, including his first major league home run, and his first RBI.
“I know we have the talent and the tools,” Mendoza said, “but one thing I’m wondering is where we are. [in the season] And he understands every pitch, every play, every game. There are some really good signs in the way he's dealing with that.”
The Mets did not select Acuna when they expanded their roster in favor of Pablo Reyes, who was released by the Red Sox earlier this month.
And with Acuna's minor league performance this season being anything but impressive, it's fair to wonder how much the 22-year-old, who was a key part of the trade that sent Max Scherzer to Texas last season, will develop in Triple-A.
When asked if it was possible Acuña got bored in the minor leagues and that contributed to his struggles, Mendoza said, “Probably.”
“I've seen it before,” Mendoza said. “You see guys in the minor leagues who are talented and good, and they get bored. You put them under the lights, and sometimes it works out. It's only three games, and he's showing some pretty good signs. You can also look at it the other way around. They do great in Triple-A, but under the lights it's a different story, especially in New York.”
As Mendoza pointed out, it's a big adjustment between the majors and the minors, and each player reacts to the change in their own way, for better or worse.
Acuna's early returns have been good.
“The minor leagues are different. You see it right away when you're under the bright lights,” Mendoza said. “The only thing he tells me is, 'I can see the ball a lot better here.' That's the difference. You never know what's going to happen.”
Mendoza repeatedly warned that the sample size so far for Acuña, who made his MLB debut on Saturday and returned to the lineup for a second straight night on Wednesday at Citi Field, is very small.
“We knew we had good players and we had the talent,” Mendoza said. “We've only played a few games, but the team is in good shape.”
