Cespedes takes one more shot at rehab

ATLANTA — Yoenis Cespedes rehab assignment, take two. After getting shut down with discomfort in his right quadriceps following a minor league appearance two weeks ago, Cespedes returned to Single-A St. Lucie on Thursday and played the entire game in left field, going 0-for-4 against Lakeland. A club source did not rule out the possibility Cespedes might rejoin the Mets this weekend, but team officials also want to be cautious and may wait until the next homestand, which begins Monday, before activating him. The Mets outfielder was placed on the disabled list April 28 with a strained left hamstring and had been on the verge of returning to the club when he incurred the soreness in his quadriceps. Last season, Cespedes battled quadriceps discomfort for much of the second half before going on the disabled list for two weeks in August. Team officials had hoped Cespedes would return to DH in Texas earlier this week, but that comeback was delayed.

Though Wilmer Flores’ emergence as a starter has recently limited his playing time, Jose Reyes says he’s happy with the manner in which his friend has played.

Before Reyes left the Mets through free agency following the 2011 season, he remembers hearing about Flores’ potential as an offensive player. Now he is witnessing it — Flores has a .317/ .344/.488 slash line with five homers and 16 RBIs in 123 at-bats.

“When he was in the minor leagues, players always talked about him,” Reyes said. “They always said he was going to be a good hitter, so I knew that.”

Neil Walker, who was unavailable Wednesday because of knee stiffness, is expected back in the lineup. Walker lobbied to play against the Rangers, according to manager Terry Collins, but was told to take the additional day of rest.