MLB

Bring on the knife: Reyes opts for surgery

Jose Reyes finally gave in and decided to have surgery to clean up scar tissue around his torn right hamstring tendon.

Reyes will have about a three-month recovery, and the Mets expect the shortstop will be ready for the start of spring training. The date for the surgery hasn’t been set.

If Reyes had chosen surgery in early June, when the hamstring tendon was torn, he could have returned for the final month of the season. Instead, he kept putting it off in a failed bid to heal the injury non-surgically and ended up not playing after May 20.

METS BLOG

CHANGES IN MEDICAL PROCEDURES

Reyes is not having surgery on his partially torn right hamstring muscle he suffered last week. Surgery is not recommended for that injury unless there is a complete tear.

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Jeff Wilpon continued to insist yesterday the Mets will be aggressive in free agency, trades and payroll this offseason as they try to pick up the pieces from this year’s 70-92 disaster.

Shaking off speculation that owner Fred Wilpon’s reported $700 million loss in the Bernie Madoff scheme would limit the Mets this winter, Jeff Wilpon vowed that the club would once again have among the highest player budgets in baseball.

Wilpon, who oversaw a club-record $147 million payroll this year, also put GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel on notice. “Omar and Jerry must step up, and we are confident they will,” he said.

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Jeff Wilpon said the Mets will retain trainer Ray Ramirez and his staff and maintain their relationship with the Hospital for Special Surgery despite criticism of the team’s handling of its injuries this season.

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The Mets are considering Wally Backman for a coaching role in their minor-league system.