Yoenis Cespedes injury update: Outfielder returns to batting cage

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes swung the bat for the first time since suffering a setback during his rehab assignment last week.

A week ago, the New York Mets were expecting Yoenis Cespedes to return from the disabled list as early as Memorial Day weekend. However, the All-Star outfielder ended up suffering a sore quadricep a day after playing in his first rehab game for Single-A St. Lucie the night before.

Cespedes has been on the shelf since April 28 after he aggravated a nagging hamstring injury in a game on April 27. After Cespedes suffered the setback in rehab, the Mets decided to shut him down until Tuesday the earliest.

The Mets received good news Tuesday, as Cespedes was indeed able to hit in the batting cage and continue his rehab. Mets manager Terry Collins provided a quick update before Tuesday nights game against the Brewers:

"“Ces hit today,” Collins said prior to the second game of a four-game set vs. the Milwaukee Brewers. “He’s making strides. I have no idea what the next step will be. I called down there and he was actually hitting at the time I called. So, we’re getting close. I learned a long time ago that you can’t control stuff out of your control–and I can’t control the healing of a player.”"

The Mets were wise to treat Cespedes’ latest quad injury with an abudance of caution. The outfielder struggled with right quad pain during much of the second half of last season. A flare up of that soreness left the Mets with little choice but to temporarily shut down his rehab.

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Surprisingly, the Mets offense has not struggled at all in Cespedes’ absence. In fact, New York’s offense ranks first in Major League Baseball in runs per game (5.86) since the day Cespedes went on the disabled list.