Luisangel Acuña has been a lifesaver for the New York Mets while superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor has been out with a sore back. But his fairytale story in the Big Apple almost didn't come to fruition.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, "Rival execs suggest Acuña was the highest-ranked prospect the Mets were seriously listening on at the deadline. Wisely, they didn't trade him, and the belief of team execs now is that he's a player who prefers the big stage, where they find themselves now."

Lindor was held out of the starting lineup on Tuesday for the eighth straight game, as the Mets begin a crucial series against the Atlanta Braves, with both teams fighting for a wild-card berth in the National League.

The Mets are currently in the second wild-card spot, a half-game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks and one game above the Braves.

"It is more important for me, that the pain comes, and then goes," Lindor told reporters regarding the injury on Tuesday. "Before, when I hit the ball and started running, it wasn't letting go. It can't be that constant, 'I can't move, I can't move, I can't move.' That will put me in a spot where I can't do what I need to do."

But the Mets have gone 6-1 without Lindor, in large part due to the heroics of Acuña, the younger brother of Braves' superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. Since being called up on Sept. 14, the 22-year-old has hit .379 with three homers, six RBI, six runs and a ridiculous 1.228 OPS.

"He's just calm, poised," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told ESPN's Jorge Castillo. "It's just like he belongs in the big leagues."

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said:

"I think it's always tough to predict that someone is going to perform even better at the Major League level than they performed at the minor level. I think what we had confidence in was the pulse and that the moment wasn't going to be too big for him. He's not going to get nervous. He's excited to be here, and he believes he can perform in this environment. And, clearly, he has."

Getting Lindor back and healthy is vital for New York's postseason and World Series aspirations. But Acuña's ability to hold down the fort has been an enormous and unexpected development.