While Spring Training statistics really don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, it's still nice to see players on your favorite team producing -- even if the games don't matter. Scan the New York Mets Spring stats for Carlos Beltran, though, and one notices that he's played in just one game thus far, and has received only three at bats.
The recovery process for Beltran after his knee surgery could be described as "day to day." One day reports suggest Beltran is feeling great, the next there's doubt as to when he will even be able to participate in baseball-related activities. Everyone wants to see Beltran get acclimated to his new right field spot, thus past few weeks have been a bit frustrating for the Mets and their fans as he hasn't exactly taken the field too much.
After receiving a cortisone shot in his knee on Friday to relieve pain in his knee, Beltran took another positive -- albeit small -- step on Sunday: he jogged 100 feet several times and took batting practice from the left side. Previously he had only been hitting from the right side; taking swings from the left side is a positive sign for the 33-year-old outfielder.
Suffice to say, Beltran's recuperation process has been slow, and it's hard to see Beltran making the opening day roster.
Don't tell that to Terry Collins, though:
"I kind of go back to what Bobby Cox told me one time, that [Pete] Rose only needed about 10 days to get ready," Collins said as quoted by ESPN NY's Adam Rubin. "So you look at Carlos Beltran and what he's done, if his legs are fine, he's going to get enough hitting in. We can get him at-bats. We're going to get him out in the outfield a few games and get him comfortable out there. As I've said, I still think he'll be out there Opening Day."
Collins said tomorrow will be another crucial day for the Mets' right fielder because if his "[knee] feels good, we're going to move forward with some stuff."
Oliver Perez is another Met who has been filling the airwaves with discussion this Spring. After his disastrous outing on Saturday against the Nationals in which he allowed two home runs, plus another hit and a walk, Collins and Sandy Alderson plan to discuss his future on Monday. It's extremely likely that today could be his last as a Met.
"We want to sit down and continue the discussion," Collins said to Mets.com's Anthony DiComo. "We're probably going to include Oliver in some of it."