SAN FRANCISCO — Etch it in stone: Jose Reyes will return to the Mets’ lineup tomorrow at Arizona.
“For sure he’ll start Monday,” manager Jerry Manuel said yesterday before the Mets faced the Giants at AT&T Park.
That pronouncement came after Manuel watched Reyes participate in pregame drills without favoring his right oblique. Reyes took batting practice, fielded grounders and ran — the first time he has done multiple baseball activities since being removed from a game against the Braves eight days ago.
“I expected to be a little sore, but it’s better than I expected,” Reyes said.
Reyes missed his fourth straight start last night, with Ruben Tejada at shortstop. Manuel said Justin Turner, who arrived yesterday from Triple-A Buffalo to provide infield depth will get the start at shortstop today.
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After three straight starts, Carlos Beltran is scheduled to receive a day off today. Manuel intends to start Angel Pagan in center field and Jeff Francoeur in right.
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Johan Santana has reclaimed his “ace” title, and now his teammates can only hope he’s primed for a prolonged winning streak.
The lefty will get the ball on six days’ rest today when the Mets conclude their four-game series against the Giants.
After a terrible June — he had four straight starts of allowing at least four earned runs — Santana is 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA over three starts in July.
For his career, Santana is 61-19 following the All-Star break, giving him the highest winning percentage (.763) among active pitchers after the break.
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Oliver Perez took a no-decision last night in a rehab start (his fourth) for Triple-A Buffalo against the Gwinnett Braves. The lefty went 6 2/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
The Mets have until the end of the month — barring a physical setback — to place Perez on the 25-man roster. The disappointing lefty is still owed about $17 million on the contract he signed before the 2009 season.
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Over the Mets’ last seven games, entering last night, the pitching staff had a 1.92 ERA. That included allowing only three runs combined over the last three games. But the Mets were only 2-5 during that stretch.
