Omar: Clock on Beltran starts when rehab games start
Mets Carlos Beltran hits a single and then scored on Jeff Francoeur's sacrifice fly. (Sept. 9, 2009) Credit: Kathy Kmonicek
The daily updates the Mets have been providing about Carlos Beltran's progress can seem a bit confusing at times.
He's playing in extended spring training games. Then there are no more extended games so he's just taking live batting practice. Then he's DHing in intrasquad games. Then he's running - but not full-out.
General manager Omar Minaya clarified matters a bit Thursday, saying Beltran's clock won't start ticking until he plays in a minor-league rehab game - and the Mets aren't sure when that will happen.
"He continues to have some live BP in a game type of situation," Minaya said. "He is running side to side now, so he is improving."
Beltran had knee surgery in January. At the time, the Mets were hoping he'd be back in May. Now they say they hope he can play in the majors four to six weeks after beginning "full" baseball activity. He went 3-for-10 with three singles Thursday.
"We usually gauge it like spring training," Minaya said. "Spring training is four to six weeks for a player to be ready to play in the major leagues. So our guess is that when that time comes that he's ready to play in [rehab] games . . . really the clock will start when he's ready to play in rehab games."
Minaya also said John Maine will "definitely have at least two" minor-league tuneups, the first coming Sunday at Trenton for Double-A Binghamton.
OK on Ollie
Minaya said he was not disturbed that Major League Baseball investigated the placement of Oliver Perez on the disabled list (they were cleared of any shenanigans).
"That doesn't bother me," Minaya said. "Sometimes these things happen. It's done a lot. Questioning those kind of things is not something that is abnormal."
Extra bases
Thirty-one-year-old Jesus Feliciano made his major-league debut as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of Game 1 and struck out. He was in the lineup for Game 2 as the centerfielder and No. 2 batter . . . Bullpen coach Randy Niemann left the team to attend his mother's funeral in California. Rick Waits, the team's minor-league pitching coordinator, will fill in through Saturday.
