Lennon: How will Mets fit four outfielders into three spots?

WASHINGTON

The Mets have gone through a number of stages in their anticipation of Carlos Beltran's return. From cautious optimism at the start of spring training to desperate craving after the disappointing first month of the season to the odd feelings they have now.

As Beltran has methodically cleared each hurdle in Florida - he could rejoin the Mets as early as next week - there is a touch of trepidation.

For so long, Beltran seemed so far removed from the team that he was more like a ghost than a missing All-Star. In that sense, he has haunted the Mets during the past two weeks, ever since he began his rehab assignment with Class A St. Lucie and started the 20-day clock on his rejoining the team.

Jerry Manuel said Thursday that Beltran will play back-to-back nine-inning games in centerfield this weekend and then will be re-evaluated. Although there is not a firm date yet, Manuel already has said he will meet with the four outfielders - Beltran, Angel Pagan, Jeff Francoeur and Jason Bay - to map out a plan going forward.

If all four remain healthy, Manuel could be in for a bit of a bumpy ride. The manager said he expects Beltran to play "75 percent of the time" and that those starts will come exclusively in centerfield - unless Beltran suggests he is better suited to playing a corner spot as he protects his fragile right knee.

So how is the rest of the outfield pie carved up?

The only reason Bay is included in the conversation is pretty much for appearances' sake. After the Mets convinced him to anchor leftfield with a four-year, $66-million contract, they aren't about to seriously consider cutting back his playing time regardless of his diminished power numbers.

"There's so many unknowns," Bay said. "It's more of a situation, when you get down to it, that there will be more to talk about when it actually happens because a lot can change.

"These things have a way of playing themselves out. Stuff happens, guys get banged up. You kind of go down that road when you get to it. Hopefully, the solution presents itself. But if not, you deal with it."

As one Mets official pointed out, the real conflict comes down to Pagan and Francoeur as that pair will be wrestling for starts in rightfield. The wild card is Pagan, who figured to be a solid fourth outfielder and turned out to be much more in the extended absence of Beltran.

How far has Pagan come in the past three months? Remember that Manuel actually started Gary Matthews Jr. over Pagan on Opening Day. He also kept him from batting in the No. 2 spot regularly until Luis Castillo landed on the disabled list June 4. Now Pagan has formed a lethal combination with Jose Reyes atop the order.

Pagan has no problem deferring to Beltran, even if it's a slightly damaged version. But when Beltran does reclaim the centerfielder's job, it's going to put the squeeze on the streaky Francoeur. Obviously, Pagan and Francoeur are very different players, and balancing those two is going to be quite a high-wire act for Manuel.

Francoeur is an immensely popular player, among his teammates as well as the media, and forcing him to the bench is going to be an uncomfortable situation. The other unknown is how Pagan and Francoeur will respond from a performance standpoint if they no longer are everyday players.

Can Pagan keep up his surprising pace if he sits two days a week? Will Manuel lose Francoeur completely under such a scenario? What will be the fallout?

"I don't know," Francoeur said. "It's hard to say. Is everybody going to be happy? Probably not. We all enjoy playing. First of all, we've got to make sure that Carlos gets back and gets back healthy. And second, you never know what can happen. One of us can go down in a heartbeat and the next thing you know, you're not even talking about it.

"So I always believe in just playing as hard as I can and whatever is going to happen is going to happen. One of us could be shipped out at the [trade] deadline. You never know what the heck is going to happen."