Carlos Beltran Joins the New York Mets.
New York Mets fans can let out a long sigh of relief. The wait will officially be over for the Mets when they get the long awaited services from Carlos Beltran. All eyes will be on Beltran who has not played a major-league game this season.
The journey back will start Thursday night in San Francisco as Beltran will play in centre field and as cleanup hitter. The Mets (48-40) will rely on the five-time All-Star to shake off his rust and get back to game form to help turn things around for the better.
"I'm happy to be back and be part of the team," Beltran said adding, "I will try to help accomplish our mission, which is to try and win a division and try to be in the playoffs.”
But Beltran is trying not to put too much pressure on himself and is setting realistic expectations.
"I don't expect to come here and rake," Beltran said. "I expect to come here and do my part."
Beltran's long-awaited return could be the offensive spark that the New York Mets desperately need to get back to their winning ways.
Mets need a turnaround
In any event, his addition in the lineup can’t hurt as club that is struggling to get anything going offensively. Despite the New York Mets ending their three-game losing streak with a 3–0 win against National League’s East rivals the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, their future seems uncertain.
They need help and fast or else they risk falling out of playoff contention and ending the season on a disappointing note.
The Mets will have to find a way to work in the inevitably rusty Beltran back into the team’s rotation. Beltran is scheduled to replace right fielder Jeff Francoer.
Surgery sidelined Beltran
In January, Beltran’s personal physician performed arthroscopic surgery to shave bone spurs that limited him to 81 games back in 2009. That decision did not sit well with the Mets organization, which would have preferred to have their own surgeon operate.
Beltran’s agent, Scott Boras reported yesterday that the Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek and trainer Ray Ramirez approved the surgery. The confusion led Beltran to respond by saying : "I have done nothing but follow the directions of my doctors. Any accusations that I ignored or defied the team's wishes are simply false."
After a few stressful days, both parties put their differences aside and were able to work out a schedule for his return. Now that the smoke has cleared, everyone can get back to work and focus less on off the field drama and more or a winning formula.
Beltran is ready to take the mount and the Mets are ready to have him.
“He's ready to go," manager Jerry Manuel said. "He probably won't be at the level of everybody else. That will take him some time. But he's still a pretty good player."
The road to his rehabilitation came with ups and downs. As spring rolled around, Beltran’s was doing much better and clearly was on the path to a speedy recovery. In late April, a re-examination by his doctors limited Beltran from beginning baseball activity.
An MRI at the time revealed that while one bone bruise receded, another remained causing the baseball star to endure sharp pain. Once that was over, he upgraded to batting practice.
Fast forward to today, and all that is in Beltran’s rear-view mirror. "I'm ready to go outside and play the game the way it's supposed to be played," Beltran said. "It doesn't matter if I'm 80, 90, 100 percent. What is important is that ... I'm good to go."
The Mets will finally get the answer to their question:"will Carlos Beltran be be our savior?"
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