Francisco Lindor was removed from Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the Cubs at Citi Field prior to the top of the third inning with flu-like symptoms, the Mets announced.
After the game, Carlos Mendoza said Lindor left the game with a virus.
He was replaced at shortstop by Joey Wendle, who went hitless in three at-bats.
Lindor popped to short in his lone at-bat to end the bottom of the first and didn’t make a play in the field before leaving the game.
The durable Lindor has started all 30 games for the Mets this season and played in all but three games the previous two seasons.
He’s had a rough first month of the season, entering Wednesday with an OPS of just .639.
Before the game, Mendoza was asked whether he wanted to get a day off for Lindor or Pete Alonso during the team’s current stretch of 13 games in 13 days, as he tried to do with Brandon Nimmo on Wednesday, and Mendoza said that was his “goal.”
“It’s not going to be easy, but we’ve got to be smart about it,’’ the manager said. “I’m a big believer that players play, especially when you’ve got your guys. There’s got to be a mindset of you got to post, and we got guys here that are willing to do that. They’ve shown that before. That’s important, but at the same time, we have to be smart about it.”
Nimmo was out of the starting lineup for a second time this season, but pinch hit for Harrison Bader and struck out in the eighth.
Without Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor played left field and was bumped up to leadoff for the first time this season.