He certainly won't save the Mets' miserable season on his own, but once J.J. Putz returns from the disabled list, Mets fans will be able to breathe a bit easier in the later innings down the stretch run.
Putz, who underwent elbow surgery earlier this summer, threw his second bullpen session recently since going on the DL on June 5. The veteran righty tossed 25 pain-free pitches over the weekend and is set to take part in another session sometime this week — most likely Wednesday.
"No pain at all — zero," Putz told the New York Post when asked how he felt.
After six seasons in Seattle, Putz was picked up by the Mets this offseason and has made just 29 appearances as Francisco Rodriguez's setup man before going on the DL. Putz was shelved after going 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA and has walked 19 batters in 29 1/3 innings pitched.
"He looked good," Manuel said. "Now, what his timetable is, I really don't know. But it looked to me like he was free and easy. He threw some splits. Probably not as consistent as he wanted to, but that's to be expected. His fastball was also free and easy."
