PORT ST. LUCIE — Robinson Cano issued one apology upon arriving to camp and gave another Wednesday.

This one was for public consumption. Earlier this week the Mets second baseman spoke to teammates to say he was sorry for the PED suspension that cost him all of last season.

“I’m here to apologize, first of all to the Mets organization, to my teammates, the fans and you guys,” Cano said in the press conference room at Clover Park. “There’s no excuses for how and why. All I know is I prepared myself the past season to help this team to compete for a championship.”

Cano never specifically said for what he was apologizing. In November 2020 he was suspended 162 games by MLB after testing positive for the steroid stanozolol. Cano was suspended 80 games in 2018 after he tested positive with the Mariners for the diuretic furosemide, a banned substance by MLB that is often used as a masking agent.

The two suspensions have cost Cano about $36.2 million in salary. The 39-year-old infielder is still owed another $48 million over the final two seasons of his contract.

“For me, the toughest part was not being here last year, honestly,” Cano said. “Not being part of this team, knowing that I can’t help them in any way to make it to the playoffs and for me, cheering from a TV or from home that was for me the toughest part.”

Cano was asked if he could guarantee he won’t test positive again for illegal PEDs but didn’t directly answer the question. A third strike carries a lifetime ban from MLB — former Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia received that punishment after the 2015 season but was later reinstated, though he hasn’t appeared in another major league game. He last pitched at the Triple-A level for the Red Sox in 2019.

Why did Cano feel the need to break the rules?

“There’s no reason,” he said. “No excuses. I cannot live in the past. Right now we are just happy to be back. Happy that we have a new manager, a new GM, new coaches and being able to be back here with the team and help this team compete for a championship. That is something that, I’m more than happy to be back and play the game that I love.”

The Mets are still evaluating how he will fit. Manager Buck Showalter indicated Cano could see action at second base, first base and DH.

“He’s going to get a chance to not do it,” Showalter said. “I don’t want to say to fail, but he feels good. He’s got a great face going right now … He understands where he is physically and where he is in his career, but boy it would be nice to get him out there.”

Cano was used as a DH in Wednesday’s simulated game. In his first plate appearance, he was drilled by a David Peterson pitch but remained in the box to hit and followed with solid contact.

“He gets hit by a pitch and he’s right on the next breaking ball,” Showalter said. “Those are the little things you look for. A lot of guys after getting hit by a pitch after being out a year, you’re like, ‘Come on.’ He’s competing. He’s got that look in his eye. You learn through the years don’t sell guys like him short. He’s got pretty good pedigree.”