GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Francisco Lindor isn't ready to say he's going to play in the Cleveland Indians' season opener yet.
But it appears the 3-time All-Star will be making his 2019 debut sooner rather than later.
Standing by his locker inside the Indians' Spring Training facility on Wednesday, Lindor provided an update on his status for the upcoming season. After suffering a calf strain just prior to the start of Spring Training, it now appears Lindor will wind up on the shorter side of his initial 7-to-9 week diagnosis.
"I want to play. I want to play this game. That's why I'm here. I want to help my team," Lindor said. "That's why they [the trainers] are good at what they do. They can slow people down to make sure they don't rush it. The goal is not Opening Day. The goal is to be there for a full season and help my team in the playoffs."
After initially participating in just limited activity, the 25-year-old Lindor has ramped up his action. Over the course of the past week, he's participated in multiple games with the Indians Spring Game, typically playing five or six innings with limited baserunning.
Earlier this week, Lindor ran the basepaths without the bases, before adding the bags for a more complete run on Tuesday.
All that's to say there are still relatively mundane activities the 2-time Silver Slugger is still working toward with Opening Day now merely eight days away. Lindor, however, doesn't believe he'll have to play in a Cactus League game in order to be ready for the March 28 opener, which happens to take place in the potentially chilly climate of Minnesota.
"That's the beauty of Spring Training," Lindor said with a laugh. "And then you show up to 25-degree weather. That's how it is.
As for how many at-bats Lindor is hoping to record before making his 2019 debut, "Not that many," he said. "I'm good. Baseball is such a crazy sport. I'll have five at-bats and feel great and then 60 at-bats and then Opening Day be completely lost."
At this point, Lindor isn't sure what comes next, other than he won't be playing with the Indians' minor league clubs again on Thursday. In other words, he's literally taking this one day at a time -- although the time remaining between now and the season opener is quickly running out.
