The Mets expect Francisco Lindor back in a New York uniform by the end of the month, though the exact date of the star shortstop's return is unknown.

Lindor has been out since April 23 with a left calf strain.

David Stearns, the team's president of baseball operations, addressed the Lindor situation on Friday before the Mets' 7-5 win over the visiting Atlanta Braves.

"I don't know exactly when this month, but that means we're getting closer," Stearns said. "We want to go as fast as possible and smart as possible, and that's a delicate line."

As part of his rehab activities, the 32-year-old played a simulated game Friday at Citi Field, batting against a pitcher from the Mets' High-A affiliate in Brooklyn. Lindor did not run after making contact, and he played the equivalent of two innings on defense, fielding ground balls.

"More like a controlled environment (where) we're simulating game action, but we're controlling it," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "He's going to do that again next week here, where instead of two innings, it's more like three, five (innings). And then, we'll revisit at the end of next week to see what's the next step."

Lindor is still expected to participate in a rehab assignment in the minors after what will be his longest stint on the injured list in his career. He has missed 44 games due to this injury after missing just 52 games in his first five seasons with the Mets.

The Mets have gone 22-22 in Lindor's absence and at 31-38, sit at the bottom of the National League East standings.

Lindor is batting .226 on the season. A notoriously slow starter, Lindor had been settling in over the nine games before his injury with 11 hits in 33 at-bats to raise his average from .188.

Lindor was selected to the All-Star Game for the fifth time in his career and first time with the Mets in 2025. He batted .267 with 31 home runs, 86 RBIs, a .346 on-base percentage, a .466 slugging percentage, a National League-leading 644 at-bats and major league-topping 732 plate appearances in 160 games.

He has a career batting average of .273 with 281 homers and 861 RBIs in 1,559 regular-season games with Cleveland (2015-20) and New York.

Lindor also has a .263 batting average with eight homers and 21 RBIs in 41 postseason games.