In his return to the lineup for the first time since late June, last night, Carlos Beltran went 1-for-4 with a double, a sliding catch in the outfield, and he nearly missed a go-ahead grand slam by a few feet.
Following the game, Beltran talked to reporters about returning to the lineup and said:
“Any time you make a catch, or get a hit, or do something for the team, you feel good and you gain confidence… Honestly, out there today, I felt like a kid in the playground. Bringing my daughter to the playground, when she’s having fun, that’s how I felt today. Hopefully, I can continue to come to the ballpark feeling comfortable out there… It’s been a long time rehabbing, like two and a half months to try to come back. Thank God I made it and I’m here. I’m not thinking about anything. I’m just going out there and trying to do the best I can. That’s it.”
Beltran later said he returned from the disabled list, not because he feels obligated, but, because, “This is my job.”
For more on Beltran’s return, including additional quotes from Beltran and Jerry Manuel, check out David Lennon’s report in Newsday.
For more on the state of Beltran’s knee, and his goal for the rest of the season, read Steve Popper in the Bergen Record.
Speaking of the outfield…
In a report for MLB.com, Tim Britton and Marty Noble look at the impact Beltran will have on playing time for Cory Sullivan and Angel Pagan.
Pagan hit .295 with six HR, eight triples and 10 doubles when batting from the leadoff spot, during Beltran’s absence.
Sullivan is hitting .412 in September, and batting .283 with a .361 OBP and eight extra base hits in 44 games since the All-Star break.
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Hi Friends! I just got back from vacation a week ago and was wondering how Beltran could be coming back. Had I missed something? No, it has been confirmed from reading the NJ article and once again, Beltran and the Mets have. Sorry to say, they’re not too bright!!! Maybe he should have had the microsurgery a month or so ago, but even if he wanted to try and forego that option, certainly rest was the only other option and playing CF all out in truly beyond meaningless games so soon after the injury – while his knee is still in such bad shape – is truly in a brainwave that is incomprehensible to me. I suppose if it was gonna cost him money to miss the next 2 seasons (which it won’t), maybe he’d be less cavalier. What’s truly unforgivable is that the Mets allow this. They seem to make money no matter how much they foul things up, too. It’s just us, the fans, that truly suffer from this. Well, it is his knee – maybe he’ll be a cripple for life – which makes me even wonder more where the guy’s head is at. Maybe he feels some misplaced sense of honor – that he HAS to play hurt, because he makes all that money. Quite counterproductive though, since there’s a decent chance that he will need to miss a full season. If he’d had the surgery already, maybe he could have come back next August, but now, it could be a season and a half (including what he’s missed). OK, I’m no doctor, but I did read in July that he would need the microsurgery and miss 2010. What’s wrong with this picture?!
77% said yes???? WTF!
I wish Jose Reyes had half of Beltran’s toughness and desire to come off the DL. If he did we probably would have seen Reyes back a month ago.
Paging Jose Reyes..paging Jose Reyes…you’re wanted at shortstop at Citifield. Please report to the infield immediately. Paging Jose Reyes.
Seriously, has ANYONE heard ANYTHING about Reyes? What’s he been up to? The silence is deafening.
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