Cespedes ready

The delay of the season due to the pandemic has given Yoenis Céspedes time to recover from injuries and the Mets slugger said he’ll be ready for the first game.

The 34-year-old slugger has struggled with a string of injuries to his feet and legs that have kept him out of the lineup for almost two years. He could be a good candidate to be the team’s designated hitter with the National League using it this season.

The two-time All-Star missed last season and most of 2018. He had surgery on both heels and then broke his right ankle in a nasty fall at his Florida ranch.

“I think possibly in the beginning in March I felt like I probably wouldn’t have been ready for the season, I wouldn’t have been ready in time,” he said through a translator. “But I know for certain now that I will be ready and I’m very excited for the season to start in two weeks.”