Carlos Beltran nearly ready to begin running - MLB

beltran sliding.JPG ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin chatted Thursday with a “source with knowledge of [Carlos] Beltran’s progress” and learned that the Mets outfielder is just about to start a running program.

Once Beltran is able to run sprints and travel the bases without discomfort, it will only be a week or two before he is cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment. The 32-year-old underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on January 13 and is slowly making his way back to full strength. He’s expected to rejoin the big league club sometime around mid-May.

Gary Matthews Jr. has been getting most of the looks in center field with Beltran out. Angel Pagan is also expected to get a nice chunk of playing time.

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Guardians traded outfielder Will Benson to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday for outfielder Justin Boyd.

The defending AL Central champions also will get a player to be named from the Reds in the swap.

Cincinnati drafted Boyd in the second round last year out of Oregon State. He led the Pac-12 with a .373 batting average and 24 steals in 2022. The 21-year-old batted .203 in 73 at-bats for Class-A Daytona.

The 6-foot-5 Benson spent 28 games with the Guardians last season, batting .182 with three RBIs in 28 games. The 24-year-old struggled at the plate, striking out 19 times in just 55 at-bats.

Benson was once considered one of Cleveland’s top outfield prospects, but has since been surpassed by Steven Kwan, Oscar Gonzalez and Will Brennan.