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.