Carlos Beltran had surgery on his troublesome right knee Wednesday and the All-Star center fielder will miss the start of the season. His decision to have the operation also sparked a dispute about whether he had received permission from the team, and perhaps whether the surgery was needed at all.

The New York Mets said Beltran is expected to resume baseball activities in 12 weeks, a timetable that likely would keep him out for most of April — and maybe longer.

New York’s first official workout for pitchers and catchers is a little more than five weeks away, on Feb. 20. The Mets open the season April 5 against Florida.

“The doctor said eight weeks, possibly, and a window to 12 weeks to resume baseball activities. With elite athletes, the timetable is sometimes shorter than the original prognosis,” Beltran’s agent, Scott Boras said.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

Here are my all-time best New York Mets By Position… When I picked my team, I only considered their contributions while a member of the Mets. If they played longer for the Mets, I gave them a slight bump in rankings since their impact on the Mets should be greater than someone playing only a couple seasons. As a general note, I started watching the Mets around 1985-86 so my choices will be biased towards Mets who have played in the 80s or later. My squad contains one player at each position, five starters and a relief pitcher/closer. I listed other people I considered in the running for each position. OK.. Here is my all-time Mets squad.

Written by: Evan Kanter of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Click here as this post appears on our NY Mets Sports Fan Blog.

The injury-ravaged Mets got some good news from the trainer’s table on Monday, as the club cleared center fielder Carlos Beltran to begin a rehab assignment without his knee brace.

Beltran, out since June 21 with a bone bruise in his right knee, was examined by the Mets’ medical director, Dr. David Altchek, in Manhattan on Monday morning. He is now scheduled to play for Class A Brooklyn on Wednesday night.

Beltran is hitting .336 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 62 games for the Mets this season. The 32-year-old will have two guaranteed years left on his contract after 2009, at $18.5 million each.

Click here to read the full article – By Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
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The Mets have talked progressively about treading water, about staying above .500, and now about remaining within striking distance until their injured stars return from the disabled list.

That task may have become even harder on Tuesday, with the news that the Mets will begin the second half of the season the same way they’re ending the first — without Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and without any timetables as to when they may return.

Click here to read the full article – By Tim Britton of MLB.com

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Santana, Rodriguez also named to National League roster

Wright, the only member of the Mets’ celebrated and decimated core to avoid assignment to the disabled list this season, and Carlos Beltran have been elected to the team that will represent the National League in St. Louis. But Beltran, assigned to the DL, isn’t expected to participate because of his bruised and aching right knee.

Given the spate of injuries that has struck the Mets, his absence would be perversely appropriate. Injury could be represent them, along with Wright, Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez. With two of their pitchers selected to participate, the Mets have the most players on the NL roster and another reminder of the talent missing from their roster.

Click here to read the full article – By Marty Noble of MLB.com

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