MLB

Mets asked Beltran to wait before having surgery

Happy New Year, the Mets already are hurting.

The euphoria of 2009’s disappearance lasted exactly 12 days in Flushing, with the Mets last night announcing that Carlos Beltran underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee yesterday and will not be ready for Opening Day on April 5 versus the Marlins.

Two sources told The Post, however, that Beltran elected to have the surgery without the Mets’ blessing. The statement released by the Mets indicated Beltran had a worsening of the osteoarthritis in his right knee.

During a telephone conference call Thursday, assistant general manager John Ricco said the center fielder had permission to be examined by his personal physician, Dr. Richard Steadman. But the team asked the player to wait while management discussed options with its medical staff.

“There is an issue with the process that was followed with the surgery,” Ricco said, according to NJ.com. “We felt this was our right as a group to discuss this prior to the surgery.”

Ricco said the team sent Beltran’s agent, Scott Boras, a letter reserving its rights under his contract

The surgery was performed in Colorado by Steadman, and Beltran consulted with team physician Dr. David Altchek beforehand. Beltran is expected to resume baseball activities within 12 weeks (April 7), but that doesn’t address when he would be available to actually play. Beltran was limited to 81 games last season because of a bone bruise in the knee.

A person familiar with the situation told The Post that the Commissioner’s Office and the Players’ Association have been alerted that “the Mets are claiming this was done without clearance and that the Mets are threatening to take some form of action. There is a potential issue out there.”

Boras said the guarantee language in the outfielder’s contract requires advance written permission only for elective operations.

“This was necessary surgery, necessary surgery to work,” Boras told The Associated Press.

This is not a unique occurrence. Players and teams have disputes about the proper course of medical action all the time, and the two sides usually come to some kind of understanding without an attempt at legal actions or fines. And the likelihood is that there is not much the Mets could do for two reasons, a person who has worked on these kinds of issues said:

1. The Mets were not in the dark on any of this. According to a friend of Beltran, Beltran was under Altchek’s care from October through December. It was only in December when he could not perform that Beltran went to see Steadman. And the friend said Mets doctors and trainers were kept abreast of the diagnosis in Colorado, even if the Mets did not agree with the remedy.

2. Steadman is a reputable surgeon who has been involved for a long time in procedures on athletes across the sports spectrum. The Mets, according to one official, might have a greater case for a grievance if Beltran had gone to another country and/or to a less reputable doctor.

None of it changes the fact the Mets will begin another season without a key member of their lineup. During last season’s roller-coaster ride through hell, the Mets were without Beltran, Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado for almost the entire second half and finished 70-92.

The likely candidate to replace Beltran in center will be Angel Pagan, who was displaced from left field with Jason Bay’s addition. Pagan was among the bright spots for the Mets last season when he was healthy, batting .306 with six homers and 32 RBIs in 88 games.

Earlier in the day, before news of Beltran’s surgery broke, David Wright said health would be the key to this season.

“We’ve got to find a way to stay healthy,” Wright said at Citi Field, where the Mets held a community kids program. “It’s important for us to go out there and have the horses for 162 games. We’ve got to have our horses in the lineup to do what we’re capable of doing.”

He evidently spoke too soon.

mpuma@nypost.com