PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets continue to live in an alternate baseball universe, a world of Rehab Denial with the belief that Johan Santana could be back on the mound for the second half of this season following his September shoulder surgery.
Stop with the façade that Santana is going to be a contributing member of this pitching staff in 2011.
After a crowd of reporters yesterday made its way to Santana to get an update on the Comeback That Hasn’t Started Yet, Santana did admit to me: “It could take up to a year. I’m aware of that.”
A year. That would be 12 months before he is even ready to get back on the mound. And that’s not counting any setbacks.
I know the clocks jumped ahead yesterday, but only by one hour, not 11 months.
For the Mets to believe Santana could be throwing with a vengeance from the mound this season is crazy.
Santana was the Twitter update of the moment because of a report in the Record that said he may be shut down ASAP in the rehab process because the shoulder is not feeling comfortable. Santana said that report was not true, and that he will play catch tomorrow and Wednesday. He said it’s too early in the rehab process to even have a setback.
“It’s a long process,” Santana told The Post.
“How long it’s going to take, I don’t exactly know, and that’s exactly what the doctor told me. Right from the beginning, the doctor said the surgery went great and everything should be fine, and that means a lot to me.”
Santana has hope, but he has no clue whether he will ever be Johan Santana the Ace again. His birthday was yesterday. He blew out 32 candles. His shoulder could blow out at any moment. Or it might never come back to where it once was.
The Mets are on the hook for $77.5 million to Santana, and he may never win a game for them again. Think about that for a second. That makes lefty specialist Oliver Perez look like a bargain at $36 million down the drain.
Once you enter the depressing world of shoulder surgery, life is not the same for major-league pitchers. Just ask Chien-Ming Wang, who had yet another setback with the Nationals, and Mark Prior, who has been trying for years to come back from his shoulder problems.
The reality is that Santana is on the shelf now, and for a long time. He knows it. In Bernie Madoff terms, something poor Mets fans know all too well, Santana is trying to “clawback” his career. He is taking it slowly, staying positive.
Part of the process means being around teammates in spring training to keep his spirits up and to make sure everyone knows he is still a part of the team. He is playing catch every once in a while. He joked with teammates and staff yesterday, which tells you he is not in a depressed state about his rehab.
Santana will work as hard as he possibly can to get back on the mound, but his pitching future is the biggest question mark in the Mets’ world right now. Counting on him to come back any time soon, or at all, is just another colossal mistake.