Johan Santana: Should New York Mets Ace Come Back from Injury This Year?

It has been reported that New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana underwent an examination that revealed he was suffering fatigue in his surgically-repaired left shoulder. Santana will not resume throwing until his symptoms reside, but he will continue to exercise.

Everything else at the exam was deemed to be normal by doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Santana made a rehab start July 28 and looked good in his three-inning appearance in St. Lucie, allowing just two hits and striking out three.

The Mets have Santana under contract until 2013, then hold a $25 million option for 2014. 

Santana has been working hard to recover from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder; Chien-Ming Wang took two years to return from the same surgery. This brings up the question of who's rushing to get Santana back on an MLB mound, the Mets or Santana himself.

With less than two months left in the season, the Mets are on the fringes of the NL Wild Card race, and the team will know very quickly if they are out of the race. It does not look like they will make the playoffs this year, though.

Given all of this, it does not make much sense to rush Santana. The Mets will be looking to be competitive again next year.

They are a team without a true ace; Santana fills that role. New York needs him to be back at 100 percent next season, so both Santana and the Mets should be careful with the rest of his rehab.

If this means Santana starts once every six days, then that is what the Mets should do. If New York wants to put a competitive team on the field next year, they need Johan Santana to be ready and healthy for Opening Day.