Bay cleared to start rebab

Jason Bay's return is still a ways off.

The Mets leftfielder said Monday that he hasn't done any baseball-related activities since getting injured April 24, but that should change beginning Tuesday. Bay was examined by a Mets physician before Monday night's game against the Brewers and was given clearance to hit the rehab trail and start ramping things up.

"Running, hitting, everything will obviously be a progression," Bay said. "There wasn't too many things [I can't do]. They said your body will let you know. If something bothers you, don't do it. So that's progression there."

Bay, diagnosed with a non-displaced fractured rib -- which he suffered attempting to make a running catch against the Giants -- hasn't picked up a bat in three weeks. He's been relegated to simply riding a stationary bike but is feeling much better than he did even a few days ago.

"The first couple weeks, everything bothered me -- coughing, just getting out of bed," Bay said. "Then I kind of got over the day-to-day stuff, and then it was like, 'OK.' And then you think, 'Whoa, I feel good.' Then it's the functional stuff, like, 'Oh, if I try to do sit-ups, uh, no, not yet.' "

Terry Collins thinks Bay will be on the field relatively soon. "Knowing Jason, as soon as he can start baseball activities, he's probably going to be back pretty quick because he works at it so hard," the manager said.

Extra basesThe Mets won despite totaling three hits. The last time they posted three or fewer hits and won was Aug. 27, 2010, in a 2-1 win over the Astros . . . David Wright extended his hitting streak to eight games and is batting .455 (15-for-33) during that stretch . . . Collins said Josh Thole, who is recovering from a concussion, is "resting" and feeling better.