Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was ruled out of Friday’s game against the Phillies because of lower back soreness. The Mets have not placed him on the injured list, and manager Carlos Mendoza says his condition will be assessed on a day-to-day basis.

Lindor leads the National League in Fangraphs WAR (7.4), hitting .270/.341/.493 in a league-leading 669 batting appearances. He has missed just three games since the start of 2022, and Mendoza says, “I’m pretty sure he wants me to put him in the lineup (on Saturday).”

In related news, Mets relief pitcher Dedniel Núñez is officially out for the remainder of the season with a right flexor injury, according to Anthony DiComo. The Mets placed Núñez on the injured list on Aug. 29 after the right-hander attempted a comeback from a previous injury.

Núñez has a 2.35 ERA over 35 innings in 2024, with the rookie emerging as the centerpiece of the Mets bullpen this season. He injured his arm in a July 23 appearance against the Yankees and pitched in a game against the Padres on Aug. 24 before returning to the IL.

In other related news, the Mets plan to call up infielder Luisangel Acuña from Triple-A, according to a report from Daniel Álvarez Montes. According to Mike Puma, the call-up was likely not in response to Lindor’s back pain, as Acuña did not play in Friday’s game for Syracuse — long before Lindor was injured.

Acuña, the younger brother of 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., ranked third on our list of preseason prospects and is 12th on MLB Pipeline’s list of top Mets prospects. Acuña has a batting average of .258/.299/.355 in 131 games for Syracuse this season and was acquired from the Rangers in the Max Scherzer trade in 2023.