New York Mets

Mets shortstop Jose Reyes could be sidelined until May or June, according to new reports coming out of spring training today.

He has not played since March 4, when he was sent back to New York for medical tests, and while it was initially thought his overactive thyroid wouldn't prove too much of a distraction, it has now emerged that he may not even resume playing baseball for eight weeks.

With Carlos Beltran out for the start of the year, it's a big loss to be without the speedy infielder for an extended period of time.

According to Yahoo! Sports, All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez returned to New York Mets camp on Monday after being hampered by conjunctivitis for more than two weeks.

Rodriguez had been told to stay away from the team until the pink eye cleared, but the contagious infection took longer than expected to improve.

He was sick when he reported to New York’s spring facility, but his eye went undiagnosed until just before full-squad workouts began on Feb. 25.

Single-game tickets for New York Mets' regular season home games go on sale on Sunday at 10 a.m.

Among the games on offer for 2010 are 30 games against NL East rivals (including nine games against the Philadelphia Phillies), matchups with five of the six division winners from 2009, and three sets of much-anticipated interleague matchups.

Bobby Valentine stood in the Mets dugout during an exhibition contest between the Mets and the Braves in Orlando on Wednesday afternoon.

One can make a case that Valentine wanted to hang out with the guys. Another will say he's doing his due diligence about the Amazins for his ESPN gig.

It's hard to believe he attended the game for those reasons. The former Mets manager has a motive for whatever he does.

Free agent pitcher Kiko Calero must have had the worst medical records of anybody this offseason. That is the only logical explanation I can think of for Calero not being able to sign a major league contract.

After posting a 1.95 ERA, 10.4 K’s/9, and a 1.10 WHIP in 60 innings with the Florida Marlins last year, I thought Calero would have many suitors this offseason. It was clearly not the case.

Many teams were scared to sign Calero.

If Daniel Murphy was not nervous about his job as he packed his cleats and headed into Port St. Lucie last week, he should be a little more concerned now that Ike Davis is up and running.

Davis is seen as the first baseman of the future for the Mets, but he is looking to fast-track his route to Citi Field in an attempt to see time in the Major Leagues in 2010.

While it’s Murphy’s job to lose right now, Davis is certainly making a strong case for playing time—or at the very least an extended look—in the first week of training.

This continues my 2010 MLB preview. I intend to touch every team in the major leagues in installments by division. The lineups I provide will be what I predict will be the most productive for each team for the MAJORITY of the season (e.g., Jason Heyward will be listed as the Braves RF even though he may not begin the season as the starter).

I will also provide the stereotypical letter grade to each team's lineup, rotation, bullpen, and depth/bench. Though it is trite, I think all baseball fans can identify with the letter grade system.

 It’s no secret that Jason Heyward and Tommy Hanson are being touted as the future stalwarts of the Atlanta Braves.

In Tuesday’s 4-2 Grapefruit League opening loss to the New York Mets, the young guns lived up to the billing.

Making his spring debut, Major League Baseball’s top prospect made an immediate impact in his 4 1/2 innings of work.

The Mets have played their first spring training game and emerged victorious with a minor league team as the regulars were pulled due to the inclement weather yesterday.

Jerry Manuel, David Wright, John Maine, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, and others have been interviewed at great length, and it's apparent that they are excited for this year. 

They want to win, and they know they have a lot to prove to themselves, the management, and the fans. 

This is the second in a short series of articles on my 25 favorite Mets players as a one-team roster. You can find the first part of the series here . A cursory look at my favorite Mets "team" makes something very clear— I have a special affinity for Mets players of the mid to late 1980s.