Floyd's tendon

If anti-inflammatory medicine, ice and rest have the desired effect, Cliff Floyd will be in the Mets lineup again Tuesday night. He was not on Sunday night, when his ongoing problem with

Achilles tendinitis made it too painful for him to run.

Floyd, who removed himself from Saturday's game because of the pain, had his leg examined on Sunday morning, and the diagnosis essentially confirmed his suspicions he had based on the pain he endured in his right Achilles' tendon in 2003, pain that led to offseason surgery.

He said he had been bothered for most of the season and that problem worsened during the All-Star break.

"It finally caught up to me," he said. "But it's not near as bad as my other one got."

Floyd, 33, said he was told that his right Achilles had begun to fray at one point. The left has not. But it hurts, and the inflammation is increasing. He said he could pinch-hit but probably not play the field.

"If I can get it back to where it was before it got as bad as it is now," he said, "I'll be able to play."

"I'm going to give him the day off [Sunday], so with the team's off-day tomorrow, hopefully, it will allow him to get better," manager Willie Randolph