My gut instinct was correct. John Maine will be heading back to rotation when finished with his rehab assignment.
John Maine is ticketed for the rotation, not the bullpen, when the right-hander is activated from the disabled list, manager Jerry Manuel indicated before the Mets opened a series against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday. - Adam Rubin, ESPN.com
I don't think this comes as much of a surprise to Mets fans. As I mentioned in a previous post, it makes more sense to have Maine in the rotation. With Niese back from injury and Takahashi in the rotation, it makes everything way too lefty heavy. Also, it doesn't make sense for Maine, who's battled injuries the past two seasons, to come out of the bullpen. The constant warming up, sitting down, and then warming up again isn't the best thing for him right now. Pitching back-to-back days/every other day isn't the best thing for him either.
Rubin also gives an update on Beltran, who played only two innings in the field today but put up five plate appearances. I still don't expect Beltran back until after the break.
