The New York Mets didn't expect Jesse Winker's first full season at the club to be reduced to just 26 games when they had signed him to a one-year $7.5 million contract during the offseason. The outfielder's return this season was ruled out on Wednesday.Mets manager Carlos Mendoza reported that Winker's season is over. The team is now weighing its options for his rehabilitation."His season's over," Mendoza said. "Now it is just going through the process of visiting doctors, (taking) multiple opinions and seeing what's next. But he's done for the year."Jesse Winker was on the Injured List twice this season. On May 5, he suffered a right oblique strain that kept him out of action until July 8. Two games into his return, the 32-year-old experienced back inflammation, which resulted in his placement on the 60-day IL.In 26 games for the Mets, Winker managed a .229 average with 10 RBIs and one home run. Acquired from the Washington Nationals last season, he hit .243 with 13 RBIs and three home runs in 44 regular-season games. He was a major at-bat during the Mets' 2024 postseason, batting at .318 with a 1.167 OPS.That prompted the team to bring back Winker during the offseason. Now with his injury, he will head into the offseason as a free agent while looking to nurse his back inflammation.Carlos Mendoza makes feelings known after Mets drop fifth straight gameThe New York Mets were blown away by the Philadelphia Phillies, the runaway leaders of the NL East. They lost 11-3 on Monday, with Clay Holmes and Gregory Soto suffering the brunt of the Phillies' offense. It was the Mets' fifth straight loss and ninth in the last 13 games. They are 31-46 since June 12, which is the fourth-worst in the league.“26 guys pulling for each other," Mendoza said. "It’s not easy. I don’t know how many times we’ve gotten into streaks like this where nothing seems to be working for us, but again you have to stay positive, we’re still in control of the situation here."It’s not ideal where we’re at compared to the whole year, but like I said we just have to take it one game at a time, it starts on the mound obviously, and then we’ll go from there.”In what could have been a turnaround in the divisional race had the Mets put up strong performances has turned into a nightmare, sitting just 2.0 games above the San Francisco Giants in fourth place in the NL Wild Card standings.