Chris Young wants it to be business as usual tonight, but understands that might not be possible.
“I’ll try not to get caught up in the emotion of it, but certainly it will be rewarding to be out there,” said Young, who is slated to make his return from shoulder surgery tonight when the Mets open a three-game series at Washington.
Thirteen months removed from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule — the same procedure that sidelined Johan Santana for all of last year — Young is filling a need in the Mets’ rotation.
The veteran right-hander will be activated, along with Miguel Batista, helping the Mets give Santana extra rest after his 134-pitch no-hitter on Friday against the Cardinals.
Jeremy Hefner will start tomorrow, but when the smoke clears the final available spot in the rotation will belong to Young, whom general manager Sandy Alderson signed to a minor league contract during spring training with the idea he could provide depth to a thin rotation.
“My arm is not like it was when I was 25 and I can’t expect it to be,” Young said. “But I know how to pitch. I’m going to be as prepared and confident going out on the mound and hopefully that stuff will help and the results will take care of themselves.”
* Jon Niese, who left Sunday’s start with an elevated heart rate, has been cleared to resume pitching, but said he will have a procedure during the All-Star break he hopes will correct the problem.
Niese plans to undergo Ablation — a procedure in which a catheter is inserted into the heart to treat the irregular heartbeat. The lefty said he would be treated as an outpatient, but because the recovery takes about three days, he would prefer waiting until the All-Star break to undergo the treatment.
Last season, Niese left early from a start at Texas with an elevated heart rate and wore a monitor for his subsequent appearance. Niese said that is not necessary in this instance.
* The Mets originally planned to activate Jason Bay for tonight’s game, but Bay was sick yesterday, forcing him to skip his scheduled start in the outfield for Single-A St. Lucie — his final hurdle in returning from the rib fracture that has kept him sidelined since April 24.