MLB

Mets’ Santana on track for rehab start

MIAMI — Johan Santana sailed through his latest test and appears ready to begin a minor league rehab assignment, as soon as Wednesday.

The Mets ace threw a 45-pitch bullpen session before yesterday’s 5-4 loss to the Marlins, and seemed impressed afterward with the effort. Barring irregular soreness today, Santana will be slotted for an upcoming start with Single-A St. Lucie.

“I think all the work we have been doing is paying off,” Santana said. “The way I’m feeling right now is I’m getting close [to minor league games].”

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Santana, who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder, said he felt stronger yesterday than he did throwing bullpen sessions in recent years.

“I think it’s even better than before,” Santana said. “But I don’t try to compare anything from past years. I’m just trying to see how it feels, especially after I throw a bullpen like this, and it feels really good.

“Right now we’re doing everything. We want quality. We want to make sure we feel good, and we have command. Right now I’m able to throw my pitches without any problem, so that’s what I’m looking for.”

*

Angel Pagan
left the game in the fifth inning with dehydration — the temperature at first pitch was 92 degrees — but felt better afterward. Jason Pridie
replaced Pagan in center field.

“I didn’t have enough liquids in me and I didn’t want to pass out on the field,” Pagan said. “I told [trainer] Ray Ramirez
and he came to Terry
[Collins
] and told him and he took me out.”

Pagan said he got dizzy after his first-inning at-bat, but tried to fight off the symptoms.

“I felt like I wanted to sit down in the outfield, because I just felt like my body was getting heavier,” Pagan said.

*

Collins considered giving Jose Reyes
the day off, but the shortstop wouldn’t hear of it. The manager said he will find time for Reyes to rest at some point.

“He and I have talked about the fact he can’t miss another two weeks,” Collins said, referring to Reyes’ recent DL stint with a left hamstring strain. “He’s just too important to us. He understood that and I told him there’s going to be a time we give [him] a day off here during one of these stretches.”

Reyes went 2-for-5, giving him his major league leading 47th multi-hit game of the season.