Mets baseball blog

Maine on the mend

Not only did John Maine pitch well in his first minor league rehab start last night, but Jerry Manuel said yesterday that the injured righty could be a candidate to start one end of the Mets-Phillies doubleheader next Sunday.

Maine, who has been on the disabled list for three months with shoulder weakness, tossed four innings of two-hit, shutout ballfor St. Lucie in high A-ball, striking out six and throwing 58 pitches. It was Maine's first time pitching since he was on the mound June 6 for the Mets. Continue

Ollie done for season

"Oliver Perez today was examined by Mets Medical Director Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.

"Upon the exam, Perez was diagnosed with patella tendon tendinosis in his right knee, which will require season-ending surgery.

"He is expected to fully recover and be ready for Spring Training."

Sheffield lands on DL

 Despite Gary Sheffield pronouncing himself ready to return to the lineup, the Mets put the outfielder on the DL Saturday with what is now labeled a right hamstring strain. Sheffield said he was perfectly willing to start Saturday night's game, but was overruled after speaking with GM Omar Minaya by phone in the visiting manager's office at Minute Maid Park. Continue

Mets remain positive on Beltran

Carlos Beltran sought a second opinion on his ailing right knee from DR.Richard Steadman yesterday, assistant GM John Ricco said, to review the diagnosis of a bone bruise that Mets doctors provided.

There's no indication that anything severe such as microfracture surgery - which Steadman's Vail, Colo., clinic specializes in - may be required, Ricco added.

The collective bargaining agreement allows for players to seek a team-funded second opinion, and Ricco suggested that agent Scott Boras preferred that Beltran see Steadman. "There's no reason for us not to be in favor of that," Ricco said. Continue

Beltran heads to DL

The core is down to one player: David Wright.

Carlos Beltran became the latest Met to land on the disabled list, when an MRI exam on Monday revealed a worsened bone bruise in his right knee, GM Omar Minaya said. Beltran's loss for at least 15 days, and potentially through the All-Star break, leaves the lineup dangerously thin. Three-quarters of the "core" is on the DL, with Beltran joining Carlos delgado (hip) and Jose Reyes (hamstring). Continue

MRI Monday for Beltran

Carlos Beltran is hurting again, adding more pain to an already thin Mets lineup.

The Mets' center fielder recently began experiencing soreness in the right knee that bothered him for much of May, and intends to have an MRI exam tomorrow.

The earlier diagnosis was a bone bruise, and Beltran says he wants to make sure nothing has changed.

Maine to DL

John Maine's shoulder "hurts a little bit" in the area where he had surgery last Sept. 30 to remove a bony growth from the socket, the righthander admitted. So the Mets opted to place Maine on the disabled list after Thursday night's 6-3, 10-inning loss to the Phillies.

GM Omar Minaya labeled the injury shoulder fatigue. Maine speculated it resulted from overwork because he had been pushing nonstop since Dec.1 to return from surgery. The righthander, who gave up a career-high three homers against the Nationals last Saturday, expects to miss only two starts because the DL trip can be backdated to last weekend's appearance. Continue

Delgado plans on being back this year

The suit Carlos Delgado wore Thursday night was a stylish shade of gray. His teammates would prefer to see him in orange and blue in the coming weeks, but Delgado himself declared Thursday night: Don't count on it.

Delgado, getting around on crutches less than two weeks after having hip surgery, was part of a group of Mets who devoted their only night off in May to a charity event in Greenwich, Conn., to benefit the Mets Foundation, although he was the only one complaining about having too much down time.

And asked if he could be certain that he'll return to the Mets at some point during the 2009 season, Delgado said: "I can't guarantee that. But it looks that that's going to be the case. The most important thing is to get better, get healthy, that you can perform effectively, and that's our goal.

"I think that's going to happen sometime this year, but I can't guarantee nothing." Continue

Beltran's knee is a huge concern for Mets

Admitting it hurt to play last night, Carlos Beltran revealed that what's ailing his right knee is much like what's ailing Jose Reyes' calf.

"The doctor saw me," Beltran said, "and he said it's a similar thing as what Jose Reyes has."

Beltran said his injury isn't as bad as Reyes' -- Reyes has tendinitis behind his calf -- but it's clearly not good. The Mets' superstar center fielder says he feels a "pinch" in the knee and will have an MRI on it today. After last night's 5-2 win over the Nationals, Beltran had a large ice pack on the knee, and he conducted his postgame interview while sitting -- which isn't typical for him. Continue

Reyes not going on DL for now

The Mets finally got some good injury news yesterday when Jose Reyes avoided a trip to the disabled list.

Reyes was determined to have nothing more than tendinitis in his upper right calf (near the knee) during an examination by team doctors in New York.

As a result, the Mets will continue to list Reyes as day-to-day. There is a chance he could play here this weekend against the Red Sox, although the Mets are likely to be cautious with their All-Star shortstop.

Reyes was out of the starting lineup for the first five games of this 10-game trip due to the calf problems. He finally returned Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Dodgers before aggravating the injury in the third inning Wednesday night. Continue