Mets Francisco Lindor takes rehab step in right direction with another coming quickly

PORT ST.LUCIE — Francisco Lindor, sidelined following surgery for a broken hamate bone in his left hand, played catch for the first time since the injury Monday and is expected to begin taking full swings by Wednesday, Carlos Mendoza said.

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.“He’s doing light defensive drills [and] incorporating more baseball activities,’’ the manager said.Lindor hopes to be able to be ready by Opening Day on March 26, saying Saturday he was “still optimistic” about the goal.Tuesday was a step in that direction and there is confidence in camp that as long as Lindor continues to trend that way, that he’ll be able to get enough at-bats this spring to not miss any time during the regular season.Ronny Mauricio displayed his athleticism at short in the Mets 6-3 win over Team Nicaragua at Clover Park, as he and Vidal Bruján fill in during the spring.Jonah Tong is going heavy with his new pitch, the cutter, this spring.He used it early and often throughout his outing against Team Nicaragua at Clover Park.When he came up late in the season a year ago, Tong mostly featured a four-seam fastball, and Tuesday he used the cutter on 39 percent of his pitches, throwing it to both righties and lefties.“I thought the cutter was really good,” said Tong, who allowed one run on five hits in 2 ²/₃ innings, striking out three and walking none in his 54-pitch outing.“I got some swing-and-miss and filled up the zone with it,’’ the right-hander said.Mendoza liked the fact Tong was persistent with the pitch in different situations as he grows accustomed to using it in game situations.“He used that cutter a lot,’’ the manager said.

“It came and went, but he kept going to it.”The goal, Tong said, is to take the pitch that’s similar to the slider he’s had in his arsenal and be able to throw it in the strike zone.“Seeing it take off...