Mets say Reyes will be ready for spring training
Jose Reyes' ailing hamstring is tops on Jerry Manuel's list of concerns heading into next season.
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On the same day the Mets promised season ticket-holders they will "improve the ballclub through a combination of player signings, trades and enhanced player development," it was a big step for them to also guarantee that Jose Reyes will be ready for the start of spring training.
The Mets did not reveal publicly their plans for Reyes, who is dealing with a partial tear of his right hamstring muscle in addition to the tendon. But a team official said the All-Star shortstop "absolutely" will be healed when it is time to report to Port St. Lucie in late February.
A person familiar with the situation said Thursday that Reyes, 26, will have surgery to remove the torn hamstring tendon and the scar tissue around it - the original injury - and that the hamstring muscle will be left to heal on its own. The timetable to concurrently rehab both injuries is expected to take up to three months.
The Mets are likely to announce the plan for Reyes Friday before they begin this weekend's final homestand against the Astros. Reyes, who has been upset about this latest setback, is not expected to attend.
The Mets, as well as a person close to Reyes, refused to point a finger at the medical staff for the handling of his hamstring issues. Reyes was encouraged by last Saturday's workout, which was his most intense in months, and a witness to Tuesday's running session said he looked great before suffering the partial tear of the hamstring.
Reyes' frustration this season is not unlike what he went through earlier in his career, when chronic hamstring issues derailed his first few seasons with the Mets. He played only 53 games in 2004 because of two stints on the disabled list.
If there is anything positive to be learned from that injury-riddled past, it's that Reyes did rebound from that season to play no fewer than 153 games in each of the next four years. But neither the Mets nor Reyes can afford more injury questions as they head into 2010. The Mets have plenty of other holes to fill without worrying about shortstop and a leadoff hitter.
The team's message Thursday to season ticket-holders strongly suggested there will be a flurry of offseason moves and that the Mets once again will have a "continued commitment to one of the highest player payrolls in MLB."
That is the strongest indication yet that the Wilpons are eager to put this calamity-filled season behind them and work to keep Citi Field near capacity for next year. To do that, they also realize that this current group needs a significant shake-up along with an infusion of talent. But a person familiar with the situation insisted Thursday that Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel definitely will be staying on for next season. Manuel's staff, however, will be shuffled.
As for Reyes, he will earn $9 million next season in the final year of his four-year, $23.25-million contract. The Mets hold an $11-million option for 2011, and the presumption always has been that it would be a no-brainer to pick up. While everyone now maintains that Reyes will be fine for next season, the Mets also said he would return by the end of July this year - and we all know how that turned out.
