What a blast!

Duda encouraged by early BP homer

PORT ST. LUCIE — It always is dangerous to make too much of what happens during spring training, and even more foolish to analyze one home run so soon after workouts have begun.

Lucas Duda won’ t ignore a reason for optimism, though, no matter how early.

Duda crushed a long home run during batting practice on Tuesday, which normally wouldn’t mean much — but it did mean something to the first baseman.

“It was kind of a relief,” Duda said.

After a stress fracture in his lower back cost him four months of last season, he returned to play eight games over the final two weeks of the season.

Still, the first baseman wasn’t himself, with just five hits (and no homers) in 27 plate appearances. He was left off the roster for the wild-card loss to Madison Bumgarner and the Giants, replaced by another lefty hitter, James Loney, against the southpaw.

“Missing so much of last season last year and then the playoff game hurt, so I’m pretty hungry for this season,” Duda said. “Hopefully, I can stay healthy.”

That is the biggest question facing Duda this season as he heads toward free agency.

In the first days of spring training, Duda has looked good, and the homer could be the first indication he will be able to move on from his back woes. The other side, of course, is that it proves to be nothing more than a batting practice homer in spring training.

Duda and the Mets have plenty of reasons to hope it is a sign of things to come.

He will be a free agent following this season, and his inability to remain in one piece causeed some people to toy with the idea of trying Michael Conforto or Jay Bruce at first to clear up the logjam in the outfield.

Duda intends to use this spring as proof he is up to the task to be the regular first baseman.

“I think so, as long as I’m healthy and able to contribute,” Duda said. “I want to be healthy enough to play the vast majority of the season. We’ll see what happens. I don’t want to put a number on it.”

He re p e ate d s eve ra l times he is superstitious and didn’t want to invite injury or bad luck by talking about what happened to him last year. Duda added he is trying to use the experience of what happened in 2016 to his advantage.

“The power I ’ ve fe l t so far this spring is more than I’m used to,” Duda said. “I think it’s because of all the core rehab I did.”

And he would like that to carry over into the regular season.

“I went through a fourmonth process of solely doing rehab,” Duda said. “My l owe r back wa s strengthened. I went into the offseason healthy and built on that.”

But he also is trying to lighten up his preseason workload.

“I like to hit a lot and put in extra work,” Duda said. “But I have to tone things down a little bit. I’m getting older and I’ve got to be smarter.”

So far, so good. But it is a long way until April. And even longer until October.

“I feel 100 percent,” Duda said. “It’s been kind of a relief. When a bone is healing, you just have to be patient. I waited all that time, and right now I feel great. I don’t want to jinx it. I want to keep it going.”

If he can do that, there is a chance Duda can return to the form he had the previous two seasons, when he combined to hit 57 homers with an OPS of at least .830 each year.

Then, he won’t have to worry about playing time. And if the Mets return to the playoffs, Duda will be on the roster.

“I’m thankful I can be back and be part of this team again,” Duda said. “I’m grateful to be here. I just want to win.”

“It was kind of a relief.” — Lucas Duda, on BP home run