Reyes ruptured his right hamstring tendon in May, tore the hamstring while rehabbing and wound up undergoing surgery to eliminate scar tissue in the same leg. The 26-year-old is expected to be fully recovered by Spring Training, and he could very well reclaim his previous dynamic form, though the recurrence of the hamstring problems that sidelined him earlier in his career should give some owners pause.

The tissue had become a regular and significant irritation for Reyes during the summer when he tried to rehab his leg after tearing the accessory hamstring tendon behind the right knee. His season ended May 20 when he ruptured the hamstring tendon. Months later, while rehabbing the leg, he also tore the hamstring. However, the muscle requires no surgery. Reyes appeared in merely 36 games before the initial injury on May 20. He accumulated 147 at-bats and batted .279 with 18 runs, 15 RBI, 11 stolen bases and two triples.

Reyes, whose season ended May 20, ruptured the hamstring tendon in his leg and later, while rehabbing the leg, tore the hamstring. He played in merely 36 games, finishing with a .279 average, 18 runs, 15 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and two triples in 147 at-bats. There's no guarantee he'll be recovered in time for the start of 2010.

A sad turn of events for Reyes, who has been out since May with a torn hamstring behind his right knee and played in only 36 games in 2009. According to reports, Reyes is expected to have surgery on his hamstring during the offseason. "He is going to be good for next year," Reyes' agent, Peter Greenberg, told 1050 ESPN New York on Thursday. "I don't think that is a question." However, a Mets official also told the radio station that team doctors expect Reyes' recovery time to be "two months," casting a cloud over his chances of being healthy by the start of the 2010 season.

There had been some hope that Reyes might recover from his torn hamstring in time for the final series of the season, but Mets manager Jerry Manuel said that won't happen. "I think they're trying to make a determination because there's only so much time," Manuel said. "'Some discomfort' was the word that was used [about his running]." Reyes compiled a .279 batting average in his 36 games this season. He last played on May 20 and remains on the Mets' 15-day DL.

Reyes, who has not played since May 20 and was diagnosed with a complete tear of his right hamstring last month, told the Daily News that he will continue taking batting practice for the remainder of the week, and will have a key running session on the field Sept. 25. Should the running session go well, Reyes told the paper he will attempt to return for one or two of the final games of the year. In other words, even if the speedy shortstop manages to return, his productivity will be limited. Reyes could be headed for surgery in the offseason.

When Reyes sat out his first game in San Francisco on May 14, the Mets believed it would be the only game their shortstop would miss. Reyes missed that series by the Bay, but returned to start two games against the Dodgers before aggravating the injury. He hasn't taken the field since. There have been starts and stops throughout Reyes' rehabilitation that led the Mets to think he would return shortly. But the shortstop's recovery has turned the adage of one step forward, two steps back into metaphysical certainty. His inability to return this season -- or seemingly make any progress during the second half of the season -- keeps open the question of surgery in the offseason. Regardless of whether Reyes has surgery or not, his status will remain up in the air into Spring Training 2010. Needless to say, this is a story owners will need to continue to monitor throughout the offseason.

Reyes was back in the clubhouse on Wednesday for team picture day, saying he is upset by the perception that he isn't trying his hardest to return. "I've been working so hard to come back, so right now I don't want to say when, but I'm still trying," Reyes said. "I'd like to come back to get my confidence back and go into Spring Training with a better idea." If Reyes does not play the rest of this season, he may undergo offseason surgery on the hamstring, a huge part of his running game. Mets skipper Jerry Manuel upgraded the status of Delgado's return from "slim," saying the past two weeks were "a possibility" for the first baseman. Don't count on much from either player, as both would likely need to shake off the rust before contributing.

The Mets issued a statement to that effect Friday before the Mets played the Cubs in the first game of a three-game series at Wrigley Field and after a newspaper reported the possibility. The club's statement did not address another aspect of the report in the New York Daily News that said Reyes' right hamstring tendon is ruptured, not merely torn as the Mets have maintained. Indeed, the club's media notes for the Friday game listed Reyes' injury as "tendinitis behind his right calf," a confusing diagnosis and one that is inconsistent with a diagnosis the club announced weeks after Reyes removed himself from the Mets game' in Los Angeles on May 20. The second diagnosis was that of a partial tear of the hamstring. The statement issued Friday said: "Jose Reyes continues to receive physical therapy for a torn hamstring tendon behind the right knee. Should he not respond to physical therapy, surgery is an option." While it was already highly unlikely that Reyes was going to return for the stretch run -- given the Mets' myriad injuries -- this statement pretty much ensures the end of the 2009 campaign for one of the game's most dynamic talents.

If you haven't been operating under the assumption that Reyes was finished, now is the time. With the Mets fading from the pennant race, there is no point rushing their franchise face back into action. The club's statement said that Reyes, who has not played a game for the Mets since May 20, will remain in New York for manual physical therapy in an effort to break up the scar tissue and reduce the inflammation. Stay tuned.

Reyes, who has not played a game for the Mets since May 20, was scheduled to be examined by doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York on Tuesday. Reyes had been making progress in his rehabilitation from a slight tear in his hamstring before July 31, when he did not run the bases in Port St. Lucie, Fla., as scheduled. Mets manager Jerry Manuel called it a setback at the time. At this point, with fewer than 60 games remaining on the Mets' schedule, the possibility exists that Reyes could miss the remainder of the season. That is certainly bad news for all the owners who have patiently waited and hoped for the return of one of the game's most dynamic talents. Stay tuned for further updates.

It's looking less and less likely that Reyes will get back in time for July, but an early August return isn't out of the question.

Reyes, who has been shelved since May 21 with right calf tendinitis and a small tear in his right hamstring tendon, ran the bases cautiously, in a manner which Mets manager Jerry Manuel described as a bit more than jogging. "I think if we get through this week, and he gets [running] on the bases, then we'll have a general indicator of where he is," Manuel said. When Reyes does come back, his playing time may be intermittent. Fashioning a game so heavily predicated on speed, the 26-year-old shortstop will lack his typical effectiveness moreso than other players if he is still sore.

Add Cora's name to the growing list of part-time players benefiting from the myriad of Mets' injuries this season. Cora has filled in admirably for Jose Reyes at short, but his .244 average and 12 RBIs won't exactly make anyone forget the Mets' speedster.

Reyes' condition has improved significantly in the last week after he received a cortisone injection. Mets GM Omar Minaya expressed optimism that Reyes might be able to return before August, but admitted several things have to happen before the speedy shortstop plays a rehab game.