Beltran played well when healthy, though he wound up sidelined for roughly half the season with a deep bone bruise in his knee. Considering that he's been mostly durable and consistent throughout his career, it's safe to bank on a bounceback 2010 campaign from the 32-year-old.

Beltran had started six straight games from Sept. 20-26 before getting a day of rest on Sunday. It had been manager Jerry Manuel's plan to give Beltran an occasional day off after the center fielder returned from an extended stay on the DL due to a bone bruise in his right knee. Wright also was the recipient of a customary day off. The Marlins' originally scheduled starter for Sunday was Josh Johnson, who has held Wright to a .167 batting average in 18 career at-bats. Look for Wright -- and possibly Beltran -- to be back in action on Monday vs. the Nationals.

Beltran nailed just his second home run since returning on Sept. 8 from an extensive trip on the DL. Still, the center fielder is hitting a respectable .300 in 50 at-bats since his return. Mixed-leaguers shouldn't hesitate to open a starting spot for the multi-talented Beltran.

Although manager Jerry Manuel has opted not to play Beltran on successive days recently, he has still racked up three consecutive multi-hit efforts to raise his average back up to .337. In nine games since returning from the disabled list, the star center fielder is 11-for-32 (.344 AVG) with five RBIs and four runs.

The two-hit showing lifts Beltran's average to .321 since returning from the disabled list on Sept. 8.

Beltran was actually mired in a deep power slump before landing on the DL June 22, going without a homer in the 11 games before he was shut down, possibly because of the nagging knee injury that he sustained in late-May and kept him out of action for so long. A few months of rest and rehab seems to have agreed with Beltran, as the superstar center fielder has ripped off a hit in each of his three games back with the Mets, making him a safe play down the stretch.

With seven homers, 39 runs scored and 40 RBIs, Tatis has done solid work all year after being pressed into a fulltime roll after a slew of his Mets teammates went down with various injuries. But the versatile veteran stands to hand back most of that playing time now that Carlos Beltran is back and healthy and Angel Pagan has established himself as an everyday Major Leaguer, severely hampering his value to NL-only owners.

No surprise there. With Beltran reduced to spectator status, Mets skipper Jerry Manuel had Angel Pagan stationed in center and assigned to the leadoff position. The start came one day after Pagan produced another flawed performance in the Mets' 13-4 loss to the Marlins on Thursday night. He was removed from the bases twice because of mindless baserunning.

Beltran came about two feet from making it a very memorable comeback, flying out to the warning track in right field with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning. "Today, I felt like a kid in the playground," Beltran said. "It was good to be out here with the boys." The Mets and fantasy owners alike have been without Beltran's services since June 21, when he landed on the 15-day DL with a bone bruise on his right knee. The center fielder acknowledged on Tuesday that although the bruise has diminished in size, it is still there. Before the injury, Beltran was hitting .336 with a team-leading eight home runs and 40 RBIs.

Beltran played nine innings as the center fielder for the Mets' Class A Brooklyn Cyclones team Saturday night, and he was expected to play another nine for the Cyclones on Sunday. Although he is not likely to be at 100 percent over the season's final weeks, owners should make no bones about starting him anyway, as a less-than-healthy Beltran should still be more effective than most.

Beltran fielded four balls and went 0-for-2 through the first five innings, walking, grounding to second and flying to center.

Beltran's performance as the designated hitter for Class A Brooklyn on Wednesday -- 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI -- was secondary to the way he felt after getting back in game action for the first time in 10 weeks, though Beltran's postgame comments revealed some anticipated soreness that comes from a combination of being out of commission for so long and the general state of ballplayers physically by the time September rolls around. "I'm not 100 percent, but no one in baseball plays at 100 percent right now," Beltran said, according to Mets vice president for media relations Jay Horwitz. Beltran did not note any specific pain related to the bone bruise in his right knee that has had him sidelined since June 22. Beltran is scheduled to play five innings in center field in Brooklyn on Thursday, and whether or not that plan stays in place should be a good indication of how he is progressing. Stay tuned.

An MRI examination on Aug. 31 convinced team doctors that Beltran's knee had improved to the point that he could be cleared to commence his return to the bigs. His return could be a boon for owners who've been hurt by the fact the star center fielder hasn't played since June 21. Just be aware that when he does come back, manager Jerry Manuel might sit him periodically to ensure Beltran doesn't aggravate his knee.

Beltran, out since June 21 with a bone bruise in his right knee, is scheduled to play for Class A Brooklyn on Wednesday, Sept. 2. That puts him on track to return some time in the next couple of weeks, barring a setback.

Beltran, who has been on the disabled list since June 22 with a bone bruise on his right knee, ran zigzags in the outfield and took fly balls Saturday. He was scheduled to work out in the pool Sunday before running outdoors again Monday. The next step for Beltran is to run the bases. When he does that, he could be cleared for a Minor League rehab assignment before returning to the Majors. There has been talk of sitting Beltran the rest of the season, since the Mets are nine games under .500 and out of the playoff hunt. The center fielder, however, was adamant that he wants to play again in 2009.