The Mets have been hobbling along for a while now, but help finally appears to be on the way. Both Jorge Polanco and Francisco Alvarez could be back in the lineup next week, and Francisco Lindor doesn't appear to be too far behind them.Jon Heyman of the New York Post was the first to report on Friday that Lindor is expected back around the third week of June for the Mets, which would be an encouraging development since his injury was expected to keep him sidelined for much longer initially.https://t.co/SJpofIfyFA MLB notes: Lindor expected back in about a couple weeks but it might be too late and a few Mets stars may end being traded (in here: two of them have big value)— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 5, 2026The healthy reinforcements could come at a critical time for the Mets, who are currently 27-35 as they begin a weekend set in San Diego on Friday. The Padres are the first team in a stretch of National League Wild Card contenders the Mets are due to play this month, and it is a critical opportunity for them to make up ground in the standings.Even though the Mets are currently in last place in the NL East, they are only six games back of the final Wild Card spot. With 100 games to go, the Mets have plenty of time to make up that ground, but they need to navigate the next few weeks to ensure they aren't buried before Lindor makes it back.What the Mets need to do to stay relevant in the playoff picture before Francisco Lindor's returnAssuming Heyman's reporting is correct, the Mets will likely get Lindor back during their next road trip, which goes to Cincinnati and Philadelphia from June 15-21. Since Lindor hasn't started a rehab assignment yet, a conservative target would be June 18 in Philadelphia for the second half of the trip.The Mets could be looking to take advantage of a unique quirk in their schedule: a Friday off day in Philadelphia due to a World Cup match being staged at Lincoln Financial Field, which shares parking facilities with Citizens Bank Park. Allowing Lindor to play his first game and get an immediate day off could help manage his return to the squad.Francisco Lindor likely wouldn't mind an extra day off to help him adjust upon his return to the Mets' lineup. | Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesWith that June 18th target date in mind, the Mets are set to play 12 games between now and then: this weekend series in San Diego, a six-game home stand against St. Louis and Atlanta, and three on the road in Cincinnati. The Braves have been one of the National League's best teams all year, so it is safe to project the Mets will drop two out of three against Atlanta.Finding a way to win the other three series would be critical, as it would mean the Mets would need to go 7-5 over those 12 games, leaving them at 34-40 when they arrive in Philadelphia. Shaving a bit of ground off their sub-.500 hole while also avoiding further slippage in the standings would be helpful as the Mets begin to assemble a more complete lineup.With how much the Mets have invested in this roster, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns and owner Steve Cohen will want to wait to see what a healthy version of their team looks like before making buy-or-sell decisions. The closest we got to that point came in the first 10 days of the season, when the Mets won two of their three series and looked like a dynamic lineup that would be tough to pitch against.There is still a chance that the hole the Mets dug themselves is simply too deep to overcome, but continuing a recent stretch of solid play gives them the best opportunity to salvage the season. Help is on the way, but the Mets need to hang on long enough to make any contributions they get from Polanco, Alvarez and Lindor meaningful.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow