Mets injury report

by Mike Trovato

When it comes to injuries, the New York Mets can't seem to catch a break. Despite missing- take a deep breath- Reyes (knee), Delgado (hip), Beltran (knee/stomach flu), Church (hamstring), Perez (knee), Schneider (calf), Cora (thumb), and now Pagan (groin) and Ramon Martinez (pinkie)... the fact that they have stayed more than just afloat is a testament to their depth and the contributions of their role players. Though they have lost two straight to the Pirates, they are still five games over .500, and have a chance to improve upon that this week, finishing up against the Pirates before playing the Nationals, a team New York swept last week.

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The return of Alex Cora is a huge boost for the Mets, who have been running an infirmary over the past month. Cora has been a positive influence in the clubhouse, so much so that when he was first put on the DL, he was asked to remain with the team. Cora was activated on Tuesday, and should be in the starting lineup at shortstop on Wednesday. His versatility in the infield, as well as the anticipated return of Jose Reyes this weekend will likely send Wilson Valdez, who has played well since being acquired from Cleveland, to a reserve role or possibly down to Triple-A Buffalo.

The Mets should see their outfield return to near full strength by the end of the week. Carlos Beltran has missed three straight games with the stomach flu, but should be back some time this week. Ryan Church is eligible to return from the DL on Sunday. It will be interesting to see what happens with Fernando Martinez once Church returns. Martinez may stick around and start in left, because Gary Sheffield's knee has been bothering him since last week's Daniel Murphy's home run debacle. Sheffield got caught up with third base coach Razor Shines in the confusion, and may become the next addition to the Mets' DL.

John Maine is not injured, but reported having a poor bullpen session yesterday, still feeling the ill effects of the same stomach bug that has sidelined Beltran. He is expected to make his scheduled start on Friday. Hopefully, for Maine and the Mets, the ailment subsides and does not effect his performance. Maine has shown vast improvement since his struggles in April, and has notched all five of his victories over the course of his last seven outings. In those seven starts, Maine has averaged 6 innings per, allowing just 12 runs (11 earned) with 30 strikeouts. With Tim Redding struggling, the Mets need Maine to stay on course.