Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has 2nd heel operation

NEW YORK (AP) >> Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has undergone heel surgery, the second of two foot operations the team hopes will enable him to return at some point next year.

The team said Friday the operation to remove bone calcification in the left heel was done in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Robert Anderson also operated on Cespedes’ right heel Aug. 2.

The 33-year-old slugger was limited to 38 games this year and hit .262 with nine homers and 29 RBIs. He missed two months after a May 13 game at Philadelphia with what the Mets said was a strained right hip flexor. He homered at the New York Yankees in his return July 20, then surprised the Mets after that game by revealing the foot issues.

Five days later, the Mets said Cespedes was going to have surgery on both feet. Assistant general manager John Ricco said then that Cespedes was likely to need eight to 10 months to recover.

Cespedes’ latest operation came one day after the Mets announced minor league right-hander Franklyn Kilome had Tommy John surgery Wednesday in New York performed by the club’s medical director, Dr. David Altchek.

The 23-year-old Kilome, rated the organization’s fifth-best prospect, went 4-9 with a 4.18 ERA this season in 26 combined starts between DoubleA Reading and Double-A Binghamton of the Eastern League. He was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 27 for veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera.

In addition, Tampa Bay Rays senior vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom had a second interview with the Mets this week to become their general manager. Bloom met Wednesday with owner Fred Wilpon and his son, chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon.

In a brief statement released by the Mets on his behalf, Bloom said it was “a productive meeting.” He is a finalist for the job along with agent Brodie Van Wagenen, who represents Cespedes and several other high-profile Mets players.

Doug Melvin also had a second interview with the Wilpons this week but the former Texas and Milwaukee general manager is no longer in the running for the position, according to multiple reports.

Sandy Alderson was hired as Mets general manager in October 2010 but took a leave of absence in late June after he had a recurrence of cancer. He said the team’s poor record did not merit him returning.