Stop me if you're heard this before, Mets fans, but apparently, there is a "strong chance" Yoenis Cespedes will be ready to play come Opening Day.
That comes from New York Post Mets beat reporter Mike Puma, who talked to a "club source" about Cespedes' viability for the MLB season that is due to start in roughly a month.
"I think there is a strong chance he is going to be ready once the 60-game season starts," Puma's source said. "And having his bat in the lineup, that is special. He went home, worked hard, and had a training staff that was around him getting him ready. I would not doubt Cespedes being ready to go. That's his mindset, he's going to work to be ready. I don't think he is ready for his career to be over right now."
Cespedes hasn't suited up in an official game since July 20, 2018, and he has played only 251 of a possible 486 games over the first three years of his four-year deal due to a litany of issues, ranging from double heel surgery in 2018 to a fractured ankle suffered last May in an altercation with a wild boar on his ranch – one that cost him quite a bit of cash when a grievance led to a restructured deal.
That said, Cespedes was taking live batting practice and shagging fly balls when spring training was suspended, and with the designated hitter coming to the National League – making the 34-year-old's mobility and ability to effectively play the outfield much less important in a short season – he could be theoretically ready to contribute.
And, according to Puma's source, Cespedes is "serious" about doing so.
"A lot of stuff happened to him with his contract and he came to spring training on a mission. There was a lot of doubt he would be ready for the season, but I think this whole COVID-19 situation, it gave him a lot of time to heal up and be able to do stuff," the source told Puma.
