Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez deem themselves ready to return to Mets

LOS ANGELES — In desperate need of a spark, the Mets are about to get one — or two.

Francisco Lindor (strained right oblique) and Javier Baez (back spasms) on Saturday deemed themselves adequately prepared to return from the injured list. The Mets might activate them Sunday, manager Luis Rojas said, noting that the team had not decided yet..

"I’m ready," Baez said. "It’s up to the them [medical personnel and other decision-makers]. I want to go out there."

"I would love to come [Sunday]," Lindor said. "I know I want to be out there and grind with the boys . . . Especially [Sunday], off-day Monday. It’s kind of like a rehab type of day. Except the games really, really matter. I love that."

For Lindor, the final six weeks are a chance to salvage what has been an underwhelming debut season with the Mets. He is hitting .228 with a .326 OBP and .376 slugging percentage, all the worst numbers of his career.

That is not what he or the Mets imagined when they agreed on the eve of the season to a 10-year, $341 million deal — a contract extension that doesn’t even kick in until 2022.

"I haven’t performed. I haven’t done it. Bottom line," Lindor said. "I haven’t done what I’m here to do when it comes to the offensive side. Defense, they [critics] can’t talk to me. Baserunning, they can’t talk to me either. Offensively, yeah, criticize me, say whatever you want. Because you’re right. It’s all right . . . I’m with them. I haven’t performed."

Regarding owner Steve Cohen’s tweet Wednesday, in which he expressed his dumbfoundedness at the offense’s impotence, Lindor said it wasn’t a message to Mets players, because they have been hearing and thinking that for months.

"It’s a message that’s been sent every single day," he said. "We haven’t had career years, we haven’t had the above-average years that we typically have or the average year that we normally have. We might be slightly below, some of us. I’m below for sure. That’s a fact. It sucks. It sucks. That’s the only way I can put it. It sucks."

Noah throws again

Noah Syndergaard said he felt "pretty good" after throwing a simulated inning (20 pitches) against Lindor and Luis Guillorme, his second live batting-practice session.

His fastball was in the low-to-mid 90s, Rojas said, and he isn’t throwing breaking balls yet.

"His velo is obviously not where he probably wants it, but he’s still got some time," Lindor said. "His fastball looked firm. His fastball moved when he wanted to make it move. And his changeup has some good depth . . . It was 11 o’clock when I was facing him. Things change a little bit when it’s 7 o’clock."

The Mets have not said when Syndergaard will go on a minor-league rehab assignment, which should be soon.

Extra bases 

The Mets are monitoring Hurricane Henri as it relates to their return to New York in the wee hours of Monday morning . . . The Mets transferred Jose Martinez’s rehab assignment to Triple-A Syracuse (from High-A Brooklyn) . . . David Wright attended the game Saturday as a fan. He sat with his family five rows behind the Mets’ dugout.