Yoenis Cespedes is expected to be ready to play for the New York Mets when the season resumes in late July.
The last time Yoenis Cespedes suited up for an actual game for the New York Mets the idea of an Opening Day in late July seemed unfathomable. Back in 2018 when Cespedes returned for one game against the New York Yankees in the middle of the season only to then land back on the sidelines for what will now be more than two full years, nobody saw the 2020 season going anything like it has.
Despite the late start to the 2020 MLB season, there is some good Mets news to digest. Cespedes is expected to be ready for Opening Day 2020.
This wouldn’t have been the case if the season started on time. Back in early March while Cespedes was boasting about hitting 52 home runs this season, there was plenty of doubt about whether or not he’d be healthy enough to crack the Opening Day lineup.
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Three months later, we have a different answer. He has had more time to rest and the big guy is expected to have a really good chance of playing when the Mets open the season.
As I felt we’ve had to say with everything related to baseball this year, there are a lot of detours and speed bumps before we can get there and celebrate. Cespedes will need to stay healthy through spring training round two aka summer camp. We’ll also have to hope the health and safety of players aren’t in jeopardy.
Otherwise, we may need to wait to see Cespedes play an Opening Day in 2021—probably for another team.
It seems as if the majority of Mets news this year has been related to injuries. I guess this is what happens when you don’t get any games in.
We know Noah Syndergaard will miss all of 2020 due to Tommy John Surgery. Michael Conforto, who suffered an injury in the spring, seems to be ready as well although this is just an assumption based on the fact that we haven’t heard anything about there being doubt.
There’s also at least a little concern in my mind about the health of Dellin Betances. The man missed all but one game in 2019.
Finally, there’s our good friend Jed Lowrie. The ridicule of jokes by self-deprecating Mets fans hasn’t made a peep since the season was temporarily put on hold. If I was a betting man, I would guess we never see him take the field in 2020.
The Cespedes news is certainly music to the ears of many fans hoping to see a 60-game stretch of excellence from this organization. With him inserted in the lineup as the DH, there’s no telling how far this team can go.
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Stay safe on the farm, Yo.