Kuzul

It goes without saying that Carlos Beltran is a crucial part of the Mets lineup. Since his microfracture surgery in January, the question has been when he will return to the Mets. However, no one has been able to answer this.

The Mets moved Beltran to the 60 day disabled list today. This is more of a procedural move than a sign of anything else. The Mets needed to clear a space on their 40- man roster for the recently acquired Justin Turner. Beltran was put on the DL on March 26, so the move will not impact his return date.

After looking through medical journals, one finds out that someone who had microfracture surgery is supposed to keep weight off the knee and hobble around on crutches for six to eight weeks. The prognosis for the surgery is that someone who was operated on will be able to return to sports in about four months.

It has been said that with elite athletes, the timetable for return is normally shorter than the original prognosis.

Beltran has just recently reached the four-month mark and he has not yet returned to baseball. Carlos has just recently started to jog. He is working towards being able to run. It is unknown when Beltran will be able to play in a simulated game.

Once Beltran plays in a simulated game he will likely have a two to three week rehab assignment in the minors. No one knows how Beltran will play after he returns. His defense may suffer because of a limited range of motion. His swing could also be affected as a result of the surgery.

Is there anyone to blame for Beltran being behind schedule? Beltran should have been rehabbing for hours everyday. The Mets medical staff should have been watching him. Beltran should be a bit farther in his rehab at this point in the year.

Some of the blame should be placed on the Mets medical staff. They have mishandled numerous injuries in the past (see Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Jon Niese, Luis Castillo).

It has been rumored that as a worse case scenario Beltran would miss the entire season. This would obviously be a massive loss. His 25 + HR and 110 + RBI bat cannot and has not fully been replaced. Beltran’s defense also cannot be replaced.

The Mets are missing a perennial All-Star and are only four games out of first place. Beltran’s return could push the Mets over the top and back into first place in the NL East.

Mets fans must start questioning why Beltran has not returned to baseball activity at this point in the year and when he will be back. He could be the missing link between the Mets and playoff baseball.

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Less than a year and a half ago, Mets fans were wondering if Daniel Murphy would be the permanent solution at first base after Carlos Delgado left. He had shown promise hitting .266 with 12 home runs and 63 RBI in his first full season.

First base is notoriously a source of power in any teams lineup. It did not appear that Murphy would be able to provide that power. Then, during spring training he was placed on the disabled list with a sprained right MCL.

Once again, the Mets had a hole at first base. The Mets opened their season with Mike Jacobs experiment. This failed mightily as Jacobs hit only .208 with one home run. He was platooning at first with Fernando Tatis.

Meanwhile, young Ike Davis was tearing apart Triple-A. He posted a .364 batting average and .500 on-base percentage. Ike was proving that he belonged in the major leagues.

Then, on April 19, the Mets made one of their best decisions of the year. The Mets called up Ike Davis.

Davis had found success in the majors at the young age of 23. He is hitting .290 and has four home runs in 107 at-bats. What is even more impressive is that Davis has hit three of his home runs in the cavernous Citi Field. This is the same amount as perennial 30 home run hitter Jason Bay.

Can we expect this type of power out of Davis for years to come? One would think so as Davis managed to hit 20 home runs in the minors last season in only 429 at bats. Davis also hit 16 home runs in just 213 at bats in his last season in college at Arizona State.

Clearly the Mets also expect Davis to be a source of power as he has been moved to the cleanup spot in the lineup. The Mets expect to give Davis many RBI opportunities with Jose Reyes and Jason Bay batting ahead of him. The Mets are also giving Davis protection by slotting David Wright into the five hole in the batting order.

The Mets have given Ike a tremendous vote of confidence by making this move. They are showing him that they believe he will be one of their main run producers now and in the future. I think this will only help improve Ike’s game.

I know that it is a small sample size, but Davis is hitting .368 in 19 at bats from the cleanup spot. He has also scored five runs from the four hole. While he cannot be expected to maintain these numbers over the course of a full season, it would not be surprising to see him hit over .300 considering who is surrounding him in the lineup.

Davis appears to have joined the core of the Mets. He can be mentioned among Wright, Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Johan Santana as a player to build around. This is an incredible feat for someone who is so young.

With Davis’ early success and Carlos Beltran impending return, the Mets still have a shot at the playoffs this year. They would not have had this opportunity with Murphy starting at first base. There would have been a big offensive hole at first base with Murphy in the lineup.

Davis has the potential to be the next great Mets first baseman. He could be a combination of the power of Carlos Delgado with the defense of Keith Hernandez.

Ike Davis is part of the future of the New York Mets, and the future is now.

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