Beltran starting his rehab

Carlos Beltran will start his rehab tonight playing for Port St. Lucie. GM Omar Minaya said he expected Beltran to play about five-to-seven innings and get about three at-bats in the game.

Though Jerry Manuel said earlier that Beltran might be ready in time for the Mets trip to Puerto Rico, a high-ranking Mets official indicted that timeframe seemed unrealistic. Also not on Beltran's side is that the Mets will play on turf fields on the Puerto Rico trip, hardly the type of field you want to have when welcoming back an injured player.