PORT ST. LUCIE — Jose Reyes wants the Mets to pitch him the damn ball.
After four days of workouts since returning from an overactive thyroid, the Mets shortstop believes his legs are underneath him enough that he can start concentrating more on fundamentals.
And that starts with a bat in his hand.
“The big thing is the timing on my swing,” Reyes said yesterday.
To that end, Reyes is expected to soon begin playing simulated games against Mets’ minor leaguers, giving him a chance to get several at-bats a day against live pitching. That could be the last step before making his Grapefruit League debut later this week.
But the Mets and Reyes are still playing it cool, saying there is no timetable in place, either for Reyes’ spring training or season debut. The Mets open the season a week from tomorrow, when they face the Marlins at Citi Field.
“We’ll continue to follow the program the physical therapy people have,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “Now we’re able to incorporate him into team activities, which is good.”
Reyes took grounders with teammates and batting practice during yesterday’s pregame drills.
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Luis Castillo slammed a three-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Mets a 5-4 lead against the Nationals before Ryota Igarashi allowed a run in the eighth. A solid spring continued for Castillo, who is batting .273 with a homer and six RBIs in Grapefruit League action.
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Mike Pelfrey will face the Cardinals today at Digital Domain Park. Pelfrey surrendered four home runs in his last exhibition start, against the Nationals on Monday. Pat Misch and Ryota Igarashi are also slated to see action.