UPDATE: Beltran will begin his rehab assignment on Thursday. I'm sure there's not much that needs to be said other than WOOHOOOOO. Hat tip to Ted Berg at Metsblog.com for the info.
Over at mlb.com, Adam Berry does a fantastic job covering Omar Minaya's recent trip to St. Lucie to watch Beltran work out. Check it out:
"I had not been here for a while, and we had been getting reports, but watching him, the leg seems to be getting stronger," Minaya said. "I can tell you that I'm pleased. Talking to the staff, watching him run and watching him run the bases, he was getting after it. Understanding that he is still coming off an injury, I think the progress and the work these guys have done here has been outstanding." - Omar Minaya, via mlb.com
I am not one of those people that believes we should be rushing Beltran at all. As long as we get him back in time for the late August/September stretch I'll be happy. But the key is he has to be fully healthy and capable of doing what Beltran does. Otherwise he's meaningless to us and besides, having him fully healthy next season is very important, as well. So if he starts his official rehab assignment next week, two weeks, or a month from now, I don't care. Just as long as he's healthy when he does.
