Conforto takes healthy cuts

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The southern tail of Wednesday’s Nor’easter sent winds whipping through First Data Field, but the forceful gusts were no match for Michael Conforto, who blasted a pair of home runs - including what had to be one of the longest balls hit at the Mets’ stadium this spring - during a minor-league scrimmage set up for the off day.

Conforto still is rehabbing from the September surgery to repair a torn posterior capsule in his left shoulder, the freakish result of the 2017 season’s last meaningful swing, and he’s not expected to play in a Grapefruit League game before the Mets head north next week. The team’s timetable has Conforto’s return penciled in for May 1, but judging by Wednesday’s feats of strength, it seems very possible for him to make it back before then.

“I’m hoping,” Conforto said. “We’ll see what happens.”

There are more hurdles to clear, mostly playing the outfield for up to nine innings while he continues the fine-tuning with his swing, and neither Conforto nor the Mets want to jeopardize his recovery by accelerating the process.

The team has been burned by such optimism in the past. But Conforto’s rapid progress is a very encouraging sign, and seeing him tee off like he did Wednesday, with two homers and a single in 10 at-bats, was a reminder of his All-Star power from a year ago.

Conforto faced three left-handed pitchers during the scrimmage, the most notable being David Peterson, the Mets’ firstround pick (20th overall) from last June’s draft. Peterson stands at a burly 6-6, and during his final season at Oregon struck out a

school-record 140 in 100 1/3 innings, thanks in part to a looping, 12-to-6 curveball. But when Peterson left one up Wednesday - more around the 3 o’clock neighborhood - Conforto hammered

a deep home run that sliced through the fierce wind and sailed over the grassy berm beyond the rightfield wall.

“Yeah, I got all of that one,” Conforto said, smiling.

Conforto’s rehab mostly had been relegated to the back fields of the Mets’

spring training facility. A day earlier, he played four innings in center field, and with the loosely structured format of minor-league games, Conforto can get as many at-bats as the Mets see fit for him.

That strategy, so far, is working well. Conforto is coming off an All-Star season

when he hit 27 homers with a .939 OPS in 107 games, so the Mets want to make sure they’ve done everything possible to meticulously build him back up to that level again, regardless of how long it may require.

“I’m getting close,” Conforto said.

Stacy Revere / Getty Images Hope is growing that the Mets’ Michael Conforto will be able to return to action before the target date of May 1.