PORT ST. LUCIE — Lucas Duda raced back in right field in the top of the second yesterday and spun around at the last second to haul in a fly ball by Houston’s Brian Esposito.
It hardly was graceful, but it was fairly impressive, considering it was Duda’s first time playing the position in pro ball.
And although Carlos Beltran reported improvement in his ailing left knee yesterday, his future is cloudy and Duda’s presence in right was an indication of what might happen with the Mets if Beltran is lost for any extended period of time.
“I’m hoping like mad Carlos Beltran is out there quite a bit,” manager Terry Collins said after the Mets beat the Astros, 7-2, yesterday at Digital Domain Park. “But if something unforeseen happens, this guy [Duda] has shown me this spring his bat is dangerous, and I’ve gotta find a place for it.”
Collins just would like it not to be right field, where the Mets have crossed their fingers in hopes that Beltran’s surgically-repaired right knee holds up and the recently diagnosed left knee tendinitis dies down.
“He’s done everything, every drill,” Collins said. “And we didn’t expect him to. Now we’ll slow him down a little bit.”
There’s no guarantee that strategy will keep Beltran on the field throughout the season, however, and Collins admitted Duda was in right yesterday as a result of Beltran’s latest setback.
Without Beltran, the Mets likely would be left with inexperienced players whose potential is unknown, such as Duda and Fernando Martinez or veterans who are more suited to utility roles, namely Scott Hairston or Willie Harris.
“Any team could use a healthy Carlos Beltran,” one scout said shortly after watching Duda play right. “But the Mets need him more than most others. The drop-off is too much to the other guys.”
The Mets remain optimistic about Beltran’s ability to get over this latest injury, as does the veteran himself.
“He said, ‘I know everyone is concerned, but I’m preparing myself for the regular season, not spring training,’ “ Collins said. “He went in the cage [yesterday] and did stuff. He’s still throwing. It’s not like he’s gonna not do anything.”
And Collins saw improvements in Beltran from Tuesday.
“He showed me things [yesterday] that he couldn’t do [Tuesday],” said Collins, who believes Beltran overdid things in his effort to be on the field as soon as possible. “I’m looking forward to early next week getting him back in there.”
But the players who could be impacted by Beltran’s absence remain aware of the effect it would have on them.
“Evidently, if Carlos needs time off, I realize it might be me who could fill in while he’s out,” Hairston said. “I’m not paying too much attention to that. I’ve had experience doing everything in the big leagues. I hope he comes back and is healthy since he’s a huge part of our lineup, but I’m prepared for whatever happens.”
So are Martinez and Harris . . . and Duda.
“It’s a change from playing left,” said Duda, who has 84 career at-bats in the majors. “The ball spins differently and it’s not easy. But I’d play catcher if they asked me to, so I’ll figure out right field.”
If Beltran doesn’t recover the way the Mets would like, he may have to, very quickly.
dan.martin@nypost.com