PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets bullpen remains a work in progress, but one thing known for sure is it won’t include Pedro Feliciano — at least for now.
The veteran reliever was informed by team brass yesterday he won’t be part of the 25-man roster for Opening Day, as the Mets prepare to head north with lefties Josh Edgin and Robert Carson in the bullpen.
Feliciano, who last pitched in the big leagues in 2010, must now decide between accepting $100,000 and a minor league assignment or asking for his release. Feliciano said he will decide within the next few days.
Feliciano’s velocity — which hovered in the 82-83 mph range for most of the spring — was a concern to the Mets, but manager Terry Collins said it was Feliciano’s inability to be effective in the second outings of back-to-back appearances that was the deciding factor.
“His stuff wasn’t as crisp and he needs to be able to go out there and be sharp consecutive days in that role,” Collins said in Kissimmee after a 7-4 win over the Braves.
Feliciano had a 2.08 ERA in eight appearances this spring and thought that might be enough.
“I just thought to be here and throw strikes and get lefties out would open some eyes,” Feliciano said. “But they decided differently than I expected.”
Collins hopes Feliciano will be back.
“I think Pedro can help us,” Collins said. “I just hope he hangs on and spends a little time to get his shoulder in better condition. We’ve reached a stage where we thought we’d like to see him build up his shoulder strength.”
The manager reiterated his desire to have two lefties on his staff, but no final decision has been made.
* On the injury front, David Wright took live batting practice again yesterday and said he felt good.
He still intends to play in a game before Opening Day and admitted there may be an advantage to staying in the minors in the event he aggravates his intercostal injury and lands on the disabled list.
“It’s probably smarter to do the minor league games, just in case,” said Wright, who could still be backdated to March 22 if he suffers a setback. “The most important thing is at-bats.”
Daniel Murphy played in his second minor league game after being sidelined with an intercostal injury. He went 0-for-5 and played seven innings at second base.
Matt den Dekker, who broke his right wrist trying to make a catch in center on Sunday, won’t need surgery.