Your Friday night injury update, brought to you as always by Canadian rock group Loverboy.

Ruben Gotay is taking drills, and has not severed any limbs as of late.

Carlos Delgado feeling better, not actually hitting though. You win some, you lose some. He threw a bat, it did not maim Brady Clark. Yet.

Brian Schneider participated in a minor league game, but didn’t catch. He did respectable. He was two for four with a sac fly.

And lastly, Orlando Hernandez has claimed to have seen a six foot tall talking rabbit named Frank. He is believed to be on a mission to help prevent the end of the world.

Carlos Delgado is expected to play tonight. He was injured in the now infamous Brady Clark Broken Bat Rampage 2008. He received four stitches in his arm, and is contractually permitted to stab Clark with a bat if he so wishes.

Schneider and Castro will both remain out with various hamstring related infirmities, Robinson Cancel will catch. Spies report Paul Lo Duca was last seen sticking needles in two voodoo dolls, one of which looked kind of like Shrek but in a Mets uniform.

And lastly, John Delcos reports El Duque is throwing. A ball. In a fashion that vaguely resembles pitching, but apparently slower. Duqe might still be tired from this weekend, when along with his brother he attempted to rid Boston of evil by acting as avenging angels against members of the Russian mob.

In his latest mailbag post for Mets.com, Marty Noble notes that the team is now saying that they probably will not trade for a player to keep left field warm for Moises Alou, who is out until May.

Among the in-house candidates to replace Alou in left field:

Angel Pagan has posted a .351 average in 57 at-bats so far this spring, with 1 home run, 10 RBIs, scored 8 runs and an on-base percentage of .373.

Damion Easley, who is returning from torn ankle ligaments that ended his 2007 season, is hitting .105 in 19 at-bats, with 1 home run and 4 RBIs.

Endy Chavez appears to be the lead man for the starting job in left field come opening day. Returning from an ankle and hamstring injury in winter ball, Chavez made his spring debut on March 8th. In 27 at-bats, Endy has recorded a .259 batting average with 4 runs scored and 4 runs batted in.

The 34-year old Brady Clark has been seeing a ton of time in the outfield this spring in attempt to land a spot on the Mets 25-man roster. In 43 at-bats, Clark has put up a .302 average and .412 on-base percentage, while scoring 5 runs.

The 19-year old phenom Fernando Martinez is the long shot to head north with the team, but regardless, he is hitting .326 in 46 at-bats with 5 runs scored and 3 runs batted in.

Finally, Marlon Anderson, who may have to play first-base if Carlos Delgado is not ready, is hitting .222 in 18 at-bats.

Carlos Delgado left todays game after getting cut with Brady Clark’s broken bat, and will require stitches on his right arm.

Well, Brady Clark did warn Delgado what happens to snitches.
Ramon Castro left early as well, restraining his injured hamstring.

Maybe this is just one of those crude and vulgar practical jokes of Castro’s they were talking about in the paper the other day. 

Orlando ‘El Duque” Hernandez was slotted to toss today, but suffered severe bloating and a skin discloration making him a blue/purple hue almost describable as violet after chewing some mysterious gum found in the clubhouse.

The Mets lost to the Cardinals by a score of 10-3 this afternoon in St. Lucie. Johan Santana was shaky, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits, while striking out 5. For a full recap, head on over to MLB.com.

A few notes:

• Luis Castillo went 0-1 with 2 walks in his return from the lineup from offseason knee surgery.
• Carlos Delgado finally broke out of his mini slump, with a home run in 3 ABs.
• Angel Pagan continues his hot spring, going 1-2 and is hitting .385
• Ricardo Rincon essentially fried his chance of making the team, allowing 4 runs in a third of an inning.
• Billy Wagner pitched a spotless seventh and his ERA is now under 2 for the spring.
• Joe Smith allowed 2 runs in his 1 inning of work.
• Aaron Heilman pitched a scorelesss 9th, and was helped out by nice DP turned by Anderson Hernandez.

Pedro Martinez makes his first start for the Mets tomorrow in St Lucie against the Tigers.

Single: According to multiple sources, the Mets and Citi Field are the likely host for the 2013 All-Star Game.

Awesome. Really. Just with the 42,500 seat stadium they’re building, you better go and get your tickets now if you plan on going.

Double: In a post for Shea Nation, Dan Kuchuba argues that David Wright should bat 4th for optimal performance in the Mets lineup.

There isn’t much I like about that idea. The 3 hitter is supposed to be the best overall, most rounded hitter in the lineup, and there is no question in my mind that Wright is that man. Especially with Wright and his incredible .416 OBP last year, he’ll be on base more often than Beltran so it is more logical to have Beltran there to drive Wright home as Wright gets on more often. Especially later into last year, Wright was hot and slapping off tough to hit pitches the opposite way for singles. Many people have credited this to HoJo, so Wright should benefit from another year under his tutelage.

Triple: With Carlos Delgado struggling in Spring Training, and always battling an injury, do we have an issue at first base?

There is nothing that could be done here, but I think our best option is Delgado. And I do think it is very possible he hits very similarly to how he did last year. He just has the potential to rake as we’ve seen, so hopefully he has another year left in the can for us. Meanwhile, we should be trying everything possible to rest Delgado once a week. Try out Gotay, Valentein, Easely, Marlon Anderson, etc. out at first. Especially Gotay, because he seems to have such a great bat but he seems to be a fairly incompetent fielder.

Home Run: Do we have an issue in left field?

As Matt Cerrone said in a post to metsblog, “I accept Angel Pagan for what he is.” I think we’ve gotten so caught up in this win now mentality that all of a sudden when Ole Man Alou is going to miss the first part of the season with a groin injury, we are all rumbling for Xavier Nady this, and Dan Johnson that. The fact of the matter is Pagan will do just fine out there, splitting the reps with Endy Chavez, Marlon Anderson and Damion Easely. There is a reason none of these four guys have caught on as starters elsewhere, but together they’ll form Unit Super Scrub for us, which will do just fine. Plus, Pagan is playing his ass off and has a hell of a name. Let’s give him a shot.

Marty Noble over at mlb.com reports that Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado both might just play tomorrow. If this is to occur, then only Moises Alou (currently being stored in dehydrated form), Ruben Gotay and Luis Castillo would remain amongst the too ailing to participate. According to Noble, Beltran would be used as a DH, while Delgado would take his standard spot at first base.

And to think, just a week ago we were penciling the staff here at Hotfoot into bench spots. Hopefully I’m not the one who has to tell Mets Gal she will no longer be the utility outfielder for the team.

Hat tip to Aaron on LI for the tip.

Dave Lennon of Newsday adds more to our ever growing list of injury updates.  Jose Valentin is expected to participate in Sundays game, on top of which his Stache is rumored to allready be in July form.

Carlos Delgado is fielding and hitting, with still no date in sight for return.  Quote from Delgado via Lennon:

“I don’t want to do anything stupid too early in spring training”

Slowly but surely we might finally have a baseball team.

While the Mets are downplaying Carlos Delgado’s injury, which was concerning enough for them to fly him out for an MRI, they need to consider the options available in case this becomes a real issue.

Buster Olney on his blog for ESPN lists Nick Johnson, Scott Hatteberg, Richie Sexson, Tony Clark and Kevin Millar as possible insurance policies if Delgado’s hip stinger, which kept him out of multiple games last season, causes him to miss more time.

On his blog for the Journal News, John Delcos writes that Delgado is back in camp after going to NYC for his MRI. Delgado said he felt something catching in his hip, and he could “make it hurt,’’ by twisting and rotating in the area.

Delgado said he’s going to give it a few days to rest and admitted he had some discomfort in his hip in the off-season.

Delgado is in his walk year, and many are expecting him to make his case for still being an offensive force in the majors. He might feel he can still hit, but will his body deny him the ability to prove it?

The Mets shouldn’t wait to find out, there are no real first base back ups on this team. Marlon Anderson would appear to be the most likely candidate, but his best asset is his pinch hitting abilities.