Mets: Michael Conforto makes strong case to return before May 1st

With recent success, Michael Conforto is out to prove he can return before his original set date

In August of last year, Michael Conforto injured his shoulder on a swing attempt – an injury that would later be diagnosed has a torn posterior capsule. He later had surgery to repair his shoulder and has now started to play some minor league games for the Mets as he begins his rehabbing and return by May 1, which is the date the Mets believe is when he will return to the team. Conforto has other plans.

Conforto has been impressing many with the minor league games he has been playing in, batting 3-for-11 and lately belting two home runs in one game. On Thursday, Conforto hit for the cycle in another minor league game. His swing is doing pretty well, we’d say. 

In order for Conforto to convince Mickey Callaway that he can show up to regularly contribute on a major league level again is just to be consistent and continue to grow. Callaway would like to see Conforto get to as many at bats as other Met players competing in the major league level and also start playing a lot more until he feels comfortable to bring up Conforto to be in the starting outfield again.

Conforto has been improving at a very high pace, much faster then what most expected. It is understandable that the Mets would not want to be fully convinced that Conforto is ready to play very soon due to the fact that Conforto is a huge part of the Mets present and future plans and he is a centerpiece for this team. They do not want one of their biggest assets to go down again for possibly even longer if they rush him up to a major league level when he can use more time working up to a level where he is comfortable to.

However, Michael Conforto seems determined to return to the Mets clubhouse before May 1 so he can get back to prove his All-Star form is back and ready to make an impact for the team right away. Before his unfortunate injury that has left him sidelined since, Conforto in the 2017 season was hitting 27 home runs along with 72 RBIs and an impressive .279 batting average.  When asked if he thinks he can return before May 1, Conforto has been very hopeful saying:

“That seems like far off to me, but we’ll see what happens. Like I keep saying, it’s day to day.”

If Conforto is to come back before May 1st, it can make a huge contribution to the team. His power is a huge asset to get back in the lineup, as he can easily belt 20 or more home runs on the year if healthy.  He can be a huge asset to the outfield picture to pair him up with Jay Bruce and Yoenis Cespedes with the possibility of him playing centerfield this season. Along with his batting and fielding skills, his personality and mindset he has had as of late can be very important in the Mets clubhouse. His attitude towards rehabbing his shoulder and his never give up persona around the clubhouse can set up a specific atmosphere for other Met players that can help them down the road in the 2018 season

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Michael Conforto is the most valuable young player on this team and his health is a huge concern for the Mets. As long as Conforto can stay healthy and resume his 2017 All-Star form that would be a huge step forward in his career and can be a big reason why the Mets can be contenders in the 2018 season.