According to the team, the Mets plan to activate Johan Santana from the disabled list after they return from their 11-game road trip, which begins tonight in Arizona.
Terry Collins said before Wednesday’s game that Santana will start one of the games on either August 8th or 9th against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field.
“He’s going to continue throwing,” Collins said. “Our strength and conditioning coach from the minor leagues is here while we’re gone to keep him on the same routine that he’s going to be on: the long toss for a few more days and then get him on the mound hopefully by the middle of next week. And then after that we’re hoping that he’s back.”
Santana will remain in New York to work out and will not travel with the team on this west coast swing.
The Mets left-hander was having a surprisingly solid season until a sprained right ankle he suffered which caused him to put added pressure on his surgically repaired left shoulder. At least that’s what the Mets are saying.
Some good news on the Mike Baxter front as well. Collins said that Baxter could return by this Monday, when the Mets begin a four-game series in San Francisco.
Baxter, who’s been on the disabled list since June 1st, went down when he slammed into the left-field fence at Citi Field while making the catch that helped preserve Johan Santana’s no-hitter against St. Louis.
He is 4-for-8 with two RBI for Class AAA Buffalo in two games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The reports so far have been good. He’s swung the bat pretty good,” Collins said. “We might see him by San Francisco.”
It will be nice to have Whitestone Mike back and I would imagine that it might spell the end of the road for Kirk Nieuwenhuis whenever he is activated.
