Player Update: Carlos Beltran

David Lennon at Newsday, writes aboutCarlos Beltran and his quad:

Just because Carlos Beltran was back in the lineup Monday did not necessarily mean all had returned to normal for the Mets' centerfielder. The day after going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, Beltran made his left quad muscle sound more like a lingering problem.

"It's stayed the same," said Beltran, who had an MRI last week in New York and was scratched Sunday because of the sore leg. "But late in the game, it gets tight, and afterward, it gets tight. I take anti-inflammatories to make the swelling go away. But the thing is, the only way for it to go away is to stop playing. If it doesn't continue to improve, I'll take time off and let it heal."

Beltran was bothered by his quad muscle in 2005, his first season with the Mets, but this time his performance doesn't seem too affected. He is on track for another MVP-caliber season, and was batting .320 with seven home runs and 26 RBIsbefore last night's game.