Brian Costa of the Star Ledger says while Carlos Beltran hasn’t yet resumed baseball activities, prior to Spring Training, while at his home in Puerto Rico, he would step into the batting cage he built at his home and track pitches out of the machine.

…this really is a great exercise, and i feel very underestimated…i remember when i was in college, one of the things we would do is each watch a round of balls go through the machine in order to get a sense of pitch speed combined with location, and simulate swinging at the pitch…it’s great for hand eye coordination and training the brain how to time pitches…i don’t know if Carlos watches breaking pitches out of the machne, but either way, i’m glad to see he is doing what he can right now…

Costa says right now, Beltran is limited to simple leg exercises to build muscle, but since he is limited in what he can do right now, he misses the routine of a ballplayer, telling Costa:

“Sometimes, as a ballplayer, when you’re healthy, it’s not like you take things for granted, but it becomes part of the routine…When now, I’m not able to do it, it’s like, ‘Man, I miss that. You appreciate what you do a little bit more.’”

Costa says the timetable for Beltran’s return hasn’t changed but right now he is walking without a limp or any pain, and Beltran expects to begin picking up the pace in his rehabilitation, as he will begin to increase the resistance in his weight training,

…it must be difficult for Carlos, for a lot of reasons, but i’m glad he is past the initial trauma of the surgery and is working his way back…

For more on Beltran, check out Costa’s report here.