WASHINGTON — On his final batting practice swing Tuesday night Robinson Cano lifted a high fly to dead center field at Nationals Park that nearly hit the “W’’ about 430 feet from home plate.

His first at-bat of the season resulted in a home run near that spot against Max Scherzer.

That is the Cano the Mets need down the stretch, the Cano who lifts a team, not drags one down. Cano made a fast return from an Aug. 4 torn hamstring on Tuesday, but was not in the starting lineup.

Mickey Callaway said the Mets really don’t have any “certain plan” with Cano. They better get one fast.

A smiling Cano said he will do whatever the team wants him to do, but if he shows he is capable of playing he has to be inserted back into the starting lineup as quickly as possible. If he shows he can’t produce, he just as quickly has to be a bench player.

The Mets are in a tricky situation, aren’t they always, but from the start of the year they really didn’t understand the talent they had in Jeff McNeil and went out and traded for Cano and Edwin Diaz, two huge disappointments.

Cano has less than a month to get it right and show the Mets there is still talent left in that 36-year-old body.

“I’m just happy to come back and play the game,’’ Cano said before Scherzer and Jacob deGrom locked horns. “I feel 100%. It feels normal.’’

As for his role?

“Whatever they want, I’m just happy to be back,’’ said Cano who is carrying a .252/.294/.415 slash line. “I don’t want to look like anything negative, I’m just happy to be back to help this team.’’

Joe Panik was in the starting lineup Tuesday night. You can expect Cano to be in the starting lineup Wednesday.

The Mets need Cano to be the best Cano he can be at this age. It is so difficult to jump four teams and a four-game deficit.

“I want to help the team to make it to the playoffs,’’ Cano said. “It’s not going to help me if I look back at how the year has been for me, I just have to move forward and be ready for the game every day. I’m ready.’’

The best news for Cano is that hand injuries that affected his swing most of the season are behind him.

“My hand is good now,’’ Cano said. “Still a little swelling but I am able to swing good. Everything is good.’’

No excuses. Don’t expect any sprinting from Cano.

Callaway said, “I don’t think we have any certain plan to do anything at all. Today he will be available from the bench and then we’ll figure out tomorrow. …

“He’s got to control his running effort. It is difficult because you want all those guys to play.”

When Callaway was asked who the starting second baseman would be if Cano is OK, the manager said: “We need to figure that out.”

“We haven’t promised anybody anything,” Callaway said, adding who plays the outfield will impact who plays second. “It’s all hands on deck, you can get double-switched out, you can get pinch run for, you can get taken out, that’s the way you have to play this it is at this point.’’

It should have been that way from the start and be that way for the next four years of Cano’s contract.

Todd Frazier told The Post the Mets need Cano these final 25 games.

“He’s a guy who has won a championship before,’’ Frazier said. “I’m not saying he is going to come in and be a .500 hitter, it takes a little time to come back but experience in helping out the younger kids, especially [Amed] Rosario. It’s probably going to be a rotating wheel and nobody is going to take it to heart.

“With [Brandon] Nimmo back and with Robbie back we are going to do some damage. We have a lot of flex options as they say in fantasy, guys that can play a bunch of different positions. Nobody is mad about the situation. We put ourselves in this situation and we just have to keep going.’’

Cano needs to be part of the solution.

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