Despite some earlier rumors that suggested Carlos Beltran’s season may be over, he continues to work toward a September return. I don’t know exactly what purpose his return will serve at this point in time, but it would be nice to see him playing centerfield and providing some additional pop to our anemic lineup.
Beltran took another step in his recovery from a right knee injury when he ran the bases this weekend in Port St. Lucie. He is expected to get another MRI this week to see if the bone bruise has shrunk in size. Beltran has already stated that he is pain-free, and his goal is to be back to play the last 2-3 weeks of the regular season.
“I want to get back,” Beltran said. “It’s no fun just sitting down and not being able to do anything. This is what I love to do, and that’s why I’m rehabbing the way I’m doing. I want to be back. It’s something personal.”
Before he was sidelined with the bone bruise, Beltran was batting .336 with eight homers and 40 RBI and was the team’s MVP. Despite the earlier losses of Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and John Maine, the Mets were still in the thick of it and hanging tough with the Phillies. But the Mets went into an immediate tailspin once Beltran went down.
Coupled with the imminent return of David Wright, who is expected back on Tuesday, the Mets should take on a much more familiar look as the season winds down. If nothing else, we’ll at least get a glimpse of what could be in 2010 as Angel Pagan slides over to left field and Fernando Tatis splits time with Dan Murphy at first base. It will be interesting to see how he fits in with newcomer Jeff Francoeur, and how Jerry Manuel will fill out his lineup card.
