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PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets will brace for at least two more days — perhaps longer — without Jose Reyes, after test results yesterday confirmed he has an overactive thyroid.
Reyes will remain in New York to await the results of blood tests to decide his treatment, according to a statement released last night by the team. Those results are not expected until tomorrow at the earliest.
Reyes is yet to make his Grapefruit League debut this spring. Last week, he received blood testing as part of a physical and was originally cleared to resume baseball activities, but on Friday team physicians requested he return to New York because of concerns about his thyroid levels.
The thyroid and the hormones it releases, regulates a person’s metabolism. Symptoms of an overactive thyroid include difficulty concentrating, fatigue, frequent trips to the bathroom, sweating, weight loss and breast development in males.
Though an overactive thyroid can be treated with medication, surgery is sometimes necessary.
“I’m concerned about it because it’s something I didn’t expect to happen to my body,” Reyes said last week, adding that he had no history of thyroid problems. “But I’m going to . . . do whatever they ask me to do.”
Reyes said last week that he wasn’t experiencing any symptoms.
The Mets will keep their fingers crossed, hoping their shortstop won’t need an extended absence. Reyes reported to camp this spring with his right hamstring tendon healed after missing most of last season with leg issues, but now must confront another health issue.
It underscores an eventful few weeks for Reyes. In late February, he was interviewed by federal investigators probing the activities of reputed HGH doctor Anthony Galea. Reyes said he told investigators he received blood spinning treatment from Galea last September but was never injected with human growth hormone.
Galea was recommended to Reyes by teammate Carlos Beltran, who was also interviewed by investigators about treatment he received from the Canadian physician. Beltran said he told investigators he never received HGH.
One issue that could come to the forefront if Reyes needs an extended absence is the Mets’ lineup. Manager Jerry Manuel has said he wants to bat Reyes third in the order, at least until Beltran returns from arthroscopic knee surgery, presumably in early May. But without Reyes available, Manuel could begin experimenting with other combinations.
In an intrasquad scrimmage last week, Reyes batted third and excited the small crowd at Tradition Field by smashing a triple in his first at-bat. It only affirmed that Reyes’ wheels have returned after last year’s hamstring issues.
But now he faces a potentially more serious setback as he awaits word on what treatment he’ll receive for his thyroid.
mpuma@nypost.com