Conforto confident he will snap out of early-season funk

Michael Conforto knows it’s still there.

The Mets outfielder underwent shoulder surgery in September but he does not believe it robbed him of his power, despite belting just one home run in his first 67 at-bats this season.

“I think the power is there,” Conforto said before the Mets’ 7-0 loss to the Braves Wednesday night. “I see it in BP [batting practice]. I can hit the ball just as far as I was before. I think it’s just a matter of getting on time and on a consistent basis.”

The surgery, which repaired a torn posterior capsule in his left shoulder, did rob Conforto of the ability to swing a bat for nearly four months.

The 25-year-old made his season debut with a splash, homering in his first game back on April 5 at Nationals Park, but hasn’t been what his team needs him to be in 20 games since.

Conforto entered Wednesday batting .209 (14-for-67) and was held out of the lineup against the Braves so he could work on his swing in early batting practice. His teammates sputtered without him, mustering just three hits in a 7-0 loss to the Braves, again showing the need for him to come alive soon.

The Mets’ best hitter, who slashed .279/.384/.555 just a year ago in a shortened season, still is trying to find the sweet swing — and the timing to go with it — that planted him at the heart of their plans for a bright future.

“I think I’ve gotten enough swings and at-bats and stuff, but I think there’s probably a little bit of a curve there for me as far as being consistent, consistently getting the barrel on the ball,” he said.

Both Conforto and manager Mickey Callaway pointed to his number of at-bats (67) as close to a typical spring training workload.

Conforto played in just two Grapefruit League games, and while he did get some more action in minor league games and extended spring training, he’s still making up for lost time.

“I kind of do look at it as there’s my spring training and now we’re ready to go,” Conforto said.

As much as the Mets’ success this season is tied to the arms of Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom, Conforto carries a similar weight with his bat at the top of an inconsistent lineup that could benefit from his everyday impact.

Fellow outfielders Jay Bruce and Yoenis Cespedes have both recently caught fire after similarly cold starts, carrying sub-.200 averages into last week. That has given Conforto some added confidence that his time is coming, too, as others carried the water in the first two weeks of the season.

But as the Mets are 6-10 in their last 16 games after the hottest start in baseball, one of their biggest pieces offensively was still largely missing.

“He’s going to be just fine,” Callaway said. “He’s a really good, special player that doesn’t let things bother him very much. So he’s going to break out of this soon.”

The positive for Conforto is that he has still been able to get on base often even without hits. He has drawn 17 walks, which ranked second on the team to Todd Frazier’s 20, giving him a .372 on-base percentage.