“Obviously, he’s a big part of the team,” designated hitter J.D. Martinez said.

The Mets received solid starting pitching in this one, as David Peterson carried a lead into the bottom of the eighth inning thanks to Tyrone Taylor’s solo homer in the top half. But Peterson cracked for consecutive doubles to start the eighth, Edwin Díaz allowed a walk-off single to J.T. Realmuto in the ninth and the Mets’ offense — minus Lindor — couldn’t do anything to counteract it.

But with the Braves losing to the Dodgers on Sunday night, the Mets departed Philadelphia still holding the final National League Wild Card spot, thanks to a tiebreaker edge over Atlanta

With two weeks left in the regular season, Lindor’s lingering absence is now the most significant question facing the Mets.

The Mets won’t know the answer to that until he goes for an MRI on his back, scheduled for Monday in New York. Lindor said he had been playing through back soreness for about two weeks prior to jamming it while lunging for and then overrunning second base on a hit in Friday’s win over the Phillies. While he and manager Carlos Mendoza remain optimistic that Lindor can return before long, they can’t predict with any accuracy if his absence will last another day, another few days or potentially even longer.

“It’s early to sit here and say I’m really worried,” Mendoza said. “We’ve just got to see how he feels tomorrow [and] the next day. It’s too early to tell.”

Lindor did attempt to play on Sunday with a protective band around his lower back, even singling to lead off the game. But he began to feel pain creeping in as he ran the bases, and it later caused him to move tentatively as he fielded a ground ball in the bottom of the first. By the second inning, Lindor was feeling enough discomfort to ask out of the game

“It’s extremely difficult,” Lindor said. “I’m somebody who wants to post up and be available as many times as I can. It is difficult to come out of the game. It is difficult to not be there for my teammates, not be there for my coaches and play the game that I love. It doesn’t feel good.”