Carlos Beltran “Making Progress," but Not Ready to Start Rehab

Carlos Beltran met with the doctors in Vail, Colorado this week in what was supposed to be a final test before he started rehab, but even though he is “making progress,” Beltran has not been cleared to resume baseball activity.

The Mets wouldn’t call it a setback, but in reality it is hard to imagine that this isn’t exactly that. Two weeks ago they said it would be any day until he was going to start running again, but here we are and Beltran still off his feet.

“It’s kind of unfortunate,” manager Jerry Manuel said . “We have to continue to play how we’ve played the last three or four games and hope that Carlos begins to recover quickly. He’s an integral part of the middle of [this] lineup, a switch hitter.”

The Mets were hoping to have Beltran back in late May. At this point that is unrealistic. It will probably take about six to eight weeks to work his way back to Flushing once he starts rehab, so if he did start today that would put him at a June return at the earliest. Everyday he isn’t working out is cutting into that month, so it seems more realistic to begin thinking about a July return.

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• April 17, 2010 -- Beltran Still Not Cleared to Start Rehab (0)
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• April 12, 2010 -- Could A Flushing Fire Sale Be Possible? (3)