Josh Thole Injury: Thole Could Rejoin Mets Friday

It looks like Josh Thole may be the first injured Met out of the trio that includes him, Jason Bay, and Ruben Tejada to rejoin the Mets lineup. The New York catcher has been behind the plate for a few extended spring training games and said he hasn’t experienced any dizziness in weeks, leading the organization to believe that the effects from his concussion on May 7th are behind him.
Thole is in Triple-A Buffalo for two more rehab appearances. He is scheduled to be the designated hitter tonight for the Bisons and will
be catching nine innings tomorrow night, being the battery mate for fellow rehabbing player, pitcher Chris Young. If all goes well over these next two days, Thole will fly back to New York to play against Carlos Beltran and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mike Nickeas and Rob Johnsonhave done a good job filling in for the injured Thole, but Terry Collins is excited to get back his starting catcher. The on-base machine has reached base in 23 of the 26 games he’s played this season and owns a triple slash of .284/.356/.370. His presence in the bottom third of the lineup will give the order more depth and stability, as New York waits for their team to once again be full strength (minus Mike Pelfrey, of course).
In other injury news, Chris Young’s rehab process will take another step forward as he makes his first start in Triple-A tomorrow night. According to Sandy Alderson, they allowed Young to make the decision as to where he wanted to pitch next, and he decided on Triple-A, which is an encouraging sign for his recovery and return to the Mets rotation. If all goes well, Alderson anticipates one more start in the minors will be needed before they decide what to do with Young.
Ruben Tejada is in New York for the week getting evaluated by doctors, and will continue his rehab through Friday, when he is scheduled for another examination to determine when he will return. As of right now, there is no clear timetable. Jason Bay continues to get closer to rejoining the Mets as he nears playing the field in extended spring games. He’s been limited to being a DH because the organization doesn’t want him to re-injure his fractured left rib, but they’re going to have to let him play the field at some point. Once the left fielder feels comfortable leaving his feet for a fly ball and diving on the grass without getting hurt, he will be given the OK to play the field.