Carlos Beltran

The Mets currently sit at 31-27, three games out of first place in the NL East and three games back in the Wild Card race. With just less than two-thirds of the season left, the Mets are going to need to make some things happen if they want to make the playoffs.

1)    Carlos Beltran Needs to Return Before/At the All-Star Break

Oh man, it's been so many months since I've done an MLB Rumor Mill at BleacherReport.com. It's been ages, literally!

So here I am, back with the MLB Rumors. And that brings me to another thing: I haven't written an MLB article for a long time, too. Jeez.

Mets center fielder and DL frequenter Carlos Beltran actually played in a game today .

It was an extended spring training game, but still a game nonetheless. He went 2-for-6 with a pair of singles.

Beltran ran the bases, although he took it easy with the running.

The Mets suffered a pretty brutal 18-6 loss last night to the San Diego Padres that drops their record to 26-26 and into a three way tie for last place behind the Phillies and the Braves.

Here are some other notes

Hisanori Takahashi had his first bad start: 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.

Oliver Perez ’s agent apparently told the Mets to put the pitcher on the DL so he could go to Florida and see a sports psychologist and the Mets declined.

It goes without saying that Carlos Beltran is a crucial part of the Mets lineup. Since his microfracture surgery in January, the question has been when he will return to the Mets. However, no one has been able to answer this.

The Mets moved Beltran to the 60 day disabled list today. This is more of a procedural move than a sign of anything else. The Mets needed to clear a space on their 40- man roster for the recently acquired Justin Turner. Beltran was put on the DL on March 26, so the move will not impact his return date.

When looking at the Mets this year, fans can see there is one thing they truly lack: charisma.

Jerry Manuel is known for his laid back attitude and approach to the game. So far this has been terribly unsuccessful. He has a 147-152 record since taking over as Mets manager midway through the 2008 season. Mediocrity is not acceptable in New York.

The Mets need a charismatic manager who brings fire and passion to the game. The team needs to be energized. The perfect manager for the job is Bobby Valentine.

Yesterday, I posted a quick recap of Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran’s rehab progress, or lack thereof. In it I wrote that he had started light baseball activities, but that he was still experiencing pain.

It turns out that as I was writing that Beltran was working out. He told Newsday that while the progress has been slow, he was finally able to run without pain. That’s great news.

Carlos Beltran ran pain-free for the first time this season on Wednesday. Beltran also told the press he hopes to rejoin the Mets soon. 

Newsday's David Lennon posted on his Twitter account that the 32-year-old center fielder took four laps around a baseball field in Port St. Lucie, Fl. this afternoon, and later took batting practice.

Beltran has had knee problems over the past few years. The condition limited him to 81 games in 2009.

At the end of Spring Training, Carlos Beltran said that he wanted to begin running exercises in Port St. Lucie, Florida on April 10 and rejoin the Mets by at least early May, but three weeks after Beltran’s self-imposed deadline, he is still not close to returning to the lineup.

According to the New York Daily News, Beltran was fitted for a custom knee brace last week, which he hoped would help accelerate his rehabilitation.