ATLANTA — The Mets continue to search for answers about Francisco Lindor’s injured back, while the shortstop himself continues to work toward playing this week in Atlanta against the Braves. Lindor had a bone scan Monday in New York that showed no structural damage, confirming what the MRI and CT scans already showed. A professional baseball team has access to top specialists, so one would think that the Mets would have been able to figure out the cause of Lindor’s back pain, but back injuries are notoriously tricky to diagnose. People can go years without being able to find a cause for pain or figure out a specific diagnosis, professional athletes too. However, Lindor’s back does appear to be getting better with rest and treatment, so much so that he was able to go through his entire pregame routine Tuesday before the opening game of the series at Truist Park. Lindor ran the bases, stretched on the field, took batting practice from the right and left sides of the plate. He also hit some deep drives out to the Chop House. He has also been taking ground balls again, though if he did Tuesday, it was not on the field. While Lindor came to Atlanta hopeful that he’ll be able to come off the bench Tuesday, manager Carlos Mendoza sounds less optimistic. “He’s going to try to push it again,” Mendoza said. “He’s going to let me know whether he’s a player for us today or not.” Lindor went through his pregame routine Sunday before the final game of the season at Citi Field, but ultimately was unable to play. “That was the case on Sunday where he went out there, then after the workout, he was like, ‘I’m not there yet,'” Mendoza said. “So that’s the one about Francisco, he’s going to be very honest with us. He’s not going to put himself at risk, he’s not going to put the team at risk. So whenever he tells us, ‘I’m a player for you,’ then we have a decision there.” Last week, Lindor had a facet injection to try to expedite his return to the field. The injection is the most effective when the source of the pain is located, and it sounds like they may not have found it. “I don’t think I react well to injections,” Lindor said. “My body doesn’t really react as good as it should to injections.” Lindor is confident that the pain isn’t neurological since he doesn’t have pain in his legs, which leaves the possibility of it being muscular. He doesn’t think playing would create an even bigger problem. With only six games left and major weather implications to deal with, Lindor understands that he won’t be playing pain-free. This much has already been acknowledged. So, the goal is to get to a place where the pain won’t be constant. He can handle sharp pains that dissipate, but he can’t play with debilitating pain that limits him from moving. “Not that constant of, like, ‘I can’t move. I can’t move, I can’t move,'” Lindor said. “Sometimes it’s getting better, it’s trending in the right direction, then that’s fine. I just don’t want to feel where it came and it’s not letting go. That’s going to put me in a spot where I won’t be able to do what I’m supposed to do. That’s not healthy for me, it’s not sustainable.” BROTHERS ACUÑA Luisangel Acuña and his brother, Braves outfielder Ronald Jr., exchanged jerseys in the Truist Field press conference room prior to the game, something they’ve talked about since playing in the minor leagues. The duo have about 15 family members and friends in attendance this week and the younger Acuña insists they’re rooting for the Mets. Ronald is out for the season after undergoing ACL surgery, so the family has turned its focus to the rookie infielder’s team. Luisangel is smaller than his brother and plays a different position, but at the plate the two look nearly identical. Their stance is similar and so is their swing, though Luisangel notes that it’s changed a bit in the minors. “Growing up I would follow his footsteps the way he would do everything,” he said. “But in the minor leagues, I ran into a couple of issues mechanically that I had to end up changing.” Mendoza, who knows Ronald from coaching Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic team, sees the same calm demeanor from both brothers. The manager told him to keep doing what he’s been doing against his brother’s team. “The fact that he’s playing in front of a lot of family members and his brother is probably something special,” Mendoza said. But don’t try to do too much. Just keep being yourself.” SPROAT PICKS UP ANOTHER AWARD Right-hander Brandon Sproat, the club’s top pitching prospect, was named the Double-A Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, becoming the fifth player in Binghamton history to win the award and the first since 2017 when former Mets pitcher Corey Oswalt won it.