Pedro bulking up

Marty Noble at Mets.com, writes about Pedro Martinez and the ten pounds of muscle he has put on in his rehab:

Pedro Martinez is a bigger story than ever, apparently. Though the chance of the Mets ace pitching before the All-Star break is quite slim, the pitcher himself is no longer so. While rehabilitating his surgically repaired right shoulder, he has added 10 pounds of self-described muscle.

"That's one of our strategies," Martinez said Saturday in the Dominican Republic, where he made an appearance at a charity softball game staged by former Red Sox teammate David Ortiz.

The Associated Press reported as much and also quoted Martinez as saying he is "aiming for July or August as the return date." The Mets have said they expected his return in August.

Martinez told the AP his "progress has been excellent" and that he has no "problems anymore with my reach or flexibility. And so far, everything is going well."