Mets ace Johan Santana threw off a mound Tuesday for the first time since pitching three scoreless innings in his first rehab start on July 28, TCPalm.com reports.
The Mets put Santana’s rehab on hold for three weeks after the lefty felt shoulder discomfort following his lone rehab start. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson watched Santana throw at the team’s minor league complex in Port St. Lucie.
“We’re just taking it one step at a time,” Alderson told the website. “We had a little setback a couple weeks ago, but we’re back on track. We’ll see where he is.”
With the Mets falling further out of contention with each passing day, there is no reason to rush Santana back to the rotation. No one has ruled out a return this season, but it seems unlikely.
“We’re starting to look at Instructional League and winter ball and all those sorts of things, but at some point, he’s going to need a good period of rest also,” Alderson said of Santana, who had surgery last September to repair a tear of the anterior capsule in his throwing shoulder.