Jul
5
2012

Mike Baxter Begins Rehab In Port St Lucie

An article by Hojo's Mojo

According to a report on ESPN New York, Mike Baxter’s recovery from a displaced collarbone is moving forward.

Baxter told ESPNNewYork.com that he was heading to the Mets’ Port St. Lucie, Fla., complex later in the day.

Baxter said he has full range of motion in the shoulder and has started hitting off a tee, “so it’s coming along pretty well.”

Before making his memorable no-hitter saving catch, Baxter had provided the Mets with a solid outfield option off the bench. He was batting .323 (21-for-65) in 40 games with a .392 on-base and .523 slugging.

Baxter has yet to run or see live pitching, but that will be the next step after a couple of days of hitting off a tee. Barring any setbacks, he could be back in about two weeks.

Before leaving for Florida, Baxter, a Whitestone native, was honored with a City Council proclamation by Council Member, Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) at a ceremony in the Mets’ clubhouse at CitiField.

Here is part of the press release:

“Mike Baxter is proof that if you work hard, you can achieve your dreams,” said Halloran. “Mike has faced adversity and ridden minor league buses for countless hours. But he persevered, and today he is a valuable part of our home borough’s team.”

Baxter grew up a lifelong Mets fan, just minutes from Shea Stadium. He is only the fifth Queens native to play for the borough’s local team. Baxter attended St. Luke’s Parish school and graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School in 2002.

Baxter has earned a spot on the Mets as a valuable fourth outfielder, left-handed pinch hitter, and pinch runner. On June 1, his remarkable catch against CitiField’s left field wall preserved Johan Santana’s no-hitter, the first in the history of the Mets franchise.

“In just a short time with the Mets, Mike has already made Whitestone proud,” Halloran said. “And his incredible catch to save Santana’s no-hitter was one of the most memorable moments in Mets’ history.”

About the Author: Rob Johnson

10 Comments + Add Comment

Oleosmirf July 5, 2012 at 9:00 am

Excellant news. The mets need that left handed bat of his back in the lineup. Should be back after the all star break then!
Hoegy July 5, 2012 at 9:31 am

Great to see Bax making his way back yet another detour in his journey. His spirit, hustle, and willingness to sacrifice his health is PURE MET!

Nice to see him active and hopping off that bench and hacking.

LGM!
srt July 5, 2012 at 9:37 am

Great news. Hope Baxter picks up right where he left off.
I predict a standing O for this young man when he first steps up to the plate in Citi Field.
Lisa P. July 5, 2012 at 10:40 am

I miss Whitestone Mike. I never felt like we were downgrading whenever he was in the lineup covering for Torres or Bay or Duda. I always had a good feeling when he came up as a pinch hitter too. Our bench will be so much better when he returns and hopefully that’s very soon.
Donal July 5, 2012 at 10:51 am

Good to see. I hope he’s back in time at least for the 40 man roster.
Oleosmirf July 5, 2012 at 10:52 am

Baxter/Hairston and Kirk/Torres make a fine platoon. It’s like having 2 .300 hitters out there
- Met Maniac July 5, 2012 at 10:55 am
  
  Was thinking the same thing. If we dont get a bat at the deadline, that’s exactly how Collins has to play it with the occasional Valdespin start thrown in.
Mr North Jersey July 5, 2012 at 11:20 am

Baxter’s bat has definitely been missed. Getting him back and hitting the way he was before he went down will be a huge addition in the 2nd half if these Mets can make a race of it.
Kramer67 July 5, 2012 at 11:29 am

I mentioned the new system wide philosophy the front office has put in place in the minors in another thread. Ifr a pitcher walks too many batters he doesn’t get promoted. If a batter piles on the strikeouts and cant draw a walk he doesn’t get promoted. In the years to come our future rookies will be better prepared for the majors and less prone to failure.

Another thing that has improved since we waved goodbye to the architect of Los Mets, was how injuries have been handled.

Look at the recoveries by Reyes, Capuano and Beltran last season. Look at Santana, Young, Torres (he sucks but he hasnt had any setbacks), and now Baxter this season.

No rushing players back, no 3-4 week setbacks, just a level headed and logical approach to handling injuries and players that we haven’t seen before.
Metsie July 5, 2012 at 1:43 pm

The Quicker Baxter gets back, the quicker Torres rides the pine and it will also give us a better defensive alignment late in games to sit Duda.

I read today they are staring to have issues with Duda in the field and that if he doesn’t start hitting more to make up for those defensive problems he could be traded.

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