GOOD SIGN:Carlos Beltran, who played five innings in a minor league game, said his knees felt OK and is confident he will be able to play again today. (Anthony J. Causi)
PORT ST. LUCIE — Carlos Beltran’s initiation to right field mostly consisted of enduring yesterday’s heat and watching grass fry.
But Beltran’s knees survived — the fact that mattered most when evaluating his performance.
“Right now I feel confident everything is going to be good,” Beltran said after playing five innings of a minor league scrimmage for his right-field debut this spring.
Beltran finished 0-for-5 at the plate with three strikeouts, but said he is not worried about his swing.
Manager Terry Collins’ plan calls for Beltran to play another minor league game in right field today. If all goes well, Beltran would play right field for seven innings in a Grapefruit League game tomorrow or Tuesday, presumably allowing him to start Friday’s season opener at Florida.
Though Beltran didn’t appear to be running at full speed on a grounder in his final at-bat, he was happy his left-knee tendinitis wasn’t an issue. Beltran did not record a putout in right field, but had to chase two balls into the gap.
It’s certainly a different pace than Beltran grew accustomed to in his former position, center field.
“Less active than center field, for sure,” Beltran said. “Almost everything they hit was to left field, so I didn’t get a chance to move, really. But I was able to go back and forth and feel good about it.
“That’s what happens when you play the corners,” he said. “There are going to be days when you don’t have any fly balls, not even a ground ball, so that’s the way it is. There is nothing I can do about it. Good for me.”
If Beltran plays a Grapefruit League game this week, the Mets will not be in position to backdate a potential disabled list stint. Otherwise, Beltran could be placed on the disabled list and just miss the opening series against the Marlins.
But unless the Mets have tangible evidence in the next day or two that Beltran is hurting, they appear ready to use him against major league competition. Nevertheless, the team also has to weigh whether Beltran might benefit from a DL stint to get his swing ready.
“Sometimes these guys get lost in, ‘I just want to feel good,’ but there is still something to seeing live pitching,” Collins said. “You still have got to get some type of timing going. But the ultimate thing is that his knees are better.”
Beltran hit right-handed in his first four at-bats and whiffed three times. He then hit left-handed for his final at-bat, and grounded out. The previous day Beltran went 5-for-10 at the plate as the designated hitter in a minor league scrimmage.
“For me, [hitting] is something I’m not worried about, because I’ve been able to hit a lot here in spring training,” Beltran said. “Last year was a different story because I couldn’t hit in the offseason, I didn’t do any work in the offseason. This year is completely different. I was able to do everything I normally do to put myself ready for the season so timing wise, that is something that is going to take time so I can deal with that part.”