PORT ST. LUCIE — It was Feb. 21 when Terry Collins first said he expected Johan Santana to be healthy for Opening Day.

And while that may have seemed unrealistic, nothing he has seen in Santana’s two starts this spring has made the manager change his mind.

When asked after Santana gave up two hits and an unearned run in 2 2/3 innings in a 4-2 rain-shortened win over the Marlins Sunday if there was doubt the lefty would be ready for the season-opener next month, Collins said: “Not for me. I truly believe we’re gonna do this right and Johan Santana will be on this team Opening Day.”

Santana was also encouraged about Sunday’s outing, but not ready to make the same proclamation as his manager.

“We’ll see,” Santana said. “I think right now, that’s a little bit premature. We’re still building up pitches. When we’re at 80-90 pitches and doing it every five days, that’s when we we’ll say we’re good… If I’m ready for it, I’ll be out there. That’s definitely something I’m looking forward to.”

He was pleased with what he was able to do Sunday.

“I was able to throw more breaking balls and changeups,” said Santana, whose fastball hit 90 MPH once but typically sat in the 86-88 MPH range. His changeup dipped into the mid-70s. “I felt really good.”

Santana was also able to include some sliders into his repertoire, but he was even more pleased with how his arm recovered after his last start.

“Now we’re on schedule,” said Santana, who threw 42 pitches, 22 for strikes. “We’ll see what’s going on to get ready for the season.”

His next step is scheduled for Friday, when he would face the Tigers in Port St. Lucie. He will likely throw about 65 pitches.