New York Mets players who can use COVID-19 break to heal injuries

Dellin Betances

When New York Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen signed Betances away from the Bronx over the winter, he knew veteran setup man had some healing to do. Betances is recovering from a pair of major injuries that sidelined the Brooklyn Native for all but two-thirds of an inning in 2019.

Betances is slowly working himself back into shape and although being on the roster for Opening Day is a goal it’s not a must. In his March 8 Spring Training debut, Betances threw 24 pitches while retiring only one batter. The pitcher that smoked opposing hitters with a high-90s heater during his prime years was only able to get his velocity to around 90 MPH. A notoriously slow starter, Betances will use the additional time to work on getting back up to speed.

Yoenis Cespedes

After missing the majority of the 2018 and all of the 2019 seasons, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes had yet to participate in a Spring Training game this year. While Cespedes has maintained throughout the offseason that his goal is to be ready for 2020 Opening Day,  BVW has refused to give an exact timeline when to expect the oft-injured power hitter to be back on the field.

With Opening Day postponed for two weeks at minimum, Cespedes’ goal looks more achievable. He has been mostly away from the team during his rehabilitation of right ankle and bilateral heel surgeries anyway. It should be relatively easy for Cespedes to continue working his way back form and be ready for the season opener, whenever that may be.

During his time with the Mets (when healthy), Cespedes sports a slash line of .282/.346/.543/.826 with 74 home runs and 201 RBI in 308 games. Fans and teammates alike will welcome him back with open arms once he makes his way back to his rightful and much-needed spot in the middle of the Mets lineup.