As the Mets return to Citi Field on Friday to open a series against the Nationals, they’ll open a stretch of four of their next five series will be in Queens.

That’s hardly good news as they entered Thursday with the third-worst home record in the sport, ahead of just the A’s and their minor league park in West Sacramento, Calif., and Washington.

And with the team hopelessly out of playoff contention, Mets fans could certainly be forgiven for avoiding the ballpark — and the TV — for the rest of the season.

But for those willing to venture to the ballpark for the rest of the summer and (early) fall, here are some things to keep an eye on:

Stay or Bo?

Bo Bichette was among the reasons the Mets got off to a season-sinking start, as he basically didn’t start hitting until early June after signing with the team in the offseason.

Two-plus months later, Bichette has looked more like the star he was for most of his time with the Blue Jays.

He has still remained significantly more productive on the road than at Citi Field, with an OPS of .643 at home and .730 away from home, but the concerns that his move from shortstop to third base would have a long-term impact on him at the plate have so far proven not to be true.

And there’s still the subject of his opt-out.

Bichette has a player option for $42 million for both next season — if and when it’s played — as well as 2028.

When he was in the throes of his early season slump, an opt-out seemed almost unfathomable, considering he wouldn’t have fetched nearly that much on the open market.

Despite his improved play, though, it has been a struggle in his first season in New York and the team has wildly underachieved.

But perhaps with better health from Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto next season, Bichette could see a strong lineup and the chance to put together a complete season offensively.

Lindor back?

Bichette isn’t the only veteran hitter who has gotten better as the year has gone on. Since July 19, only eight players have a higher OPS than Lindor’s .961.

There have still been too many odd mental (and physical) errors by the shortstop this season, but after the switch-hitter underwent hamate bone surgery in the spring, it was expected he might need some time to return to form at the plate.

If the Mets have any hope of getting themselves right next season, Lindor will have to continue his recent play.

His defense has been the worst of his career, basically by any measurable metric — including watching the games.

And at 32, it’s unlikely to improve.

Center of attention

A.J. Ewing, like his fellow rookie Carson Benge, has continued to impress on both sides of the ball. And while many people were surprised to see Ewing in left field even after the trade deadline just to accommodate Luis Robert Jr. in center, many scouts aren’t bothered by it.

“He’s just an athlete and I don’t think moving him around [defensively] will impact his development,’’ one American League scout said. “He didn’t play there much in the minors and now they know they can put him in left and he’ll be fine.”

His bat has been a bit more inconsistent than Benge’s, but both rank among the top five among rookies in stolen bases since Ewing was called up in May.

Ewing has also has the team’s highest home OPS (.810) among qualified hitters, other than Juan Soto.

Young guns

For now, Christian Scott, Nolan McLean and Zac Thornton are lined up to pitch Saturday, Sunday and Monday, respectively.

The trio of young pitchers has shown promise, although there have been bumps along the way:

Scott has a 5.30 ERA in his last four starts.

McLean has allowed five homers in his last four appearances after not given up a homer in nine of his 10 previous outings.

Thornton, the least-heralded of the group, despite striking out just seven batters over his last three starts.

In the bullpen, after the trade deadline left it gutted by the departures of Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter and Huascar Brazobán — and now the shoulder injury to Devin Williams — the Mets will be hoping someone emerges as a candidate to be a reliable arm the rest of the way.

Could one of them be Kodai Senga?

It seems unlikely, given his track record.

Nate Lavender has struck out five batter and allowed just three baserunners in 3 ¹/₃ innings so far. The 26-year-old was a 14th-round pick by the Mets in 2021.

Chris Devenski, who appeared in 13 games — including a start — for the Mets a year ago, is back in the organization and pitched a scoreless inning with Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

The right-hander, 35, was designated for assignment by the Pirates last week.