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HOUSTON -- Carlos Beltran says his bruised left knee fees "a lot better" the morning after he crashed into the fence in left-center field at Minute Maid Park making a leaping catch.
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"Today, I can bend my knee better," the New York Mets centerfielder said Sunday before the Mets wrapped up a three-game series in Houston. "I still feel pressure. But I feel a lot better from yesterday to today."
The three-time All-Star, who has 39 home runs and 112 RBI for the Mets this year, was out of Sunday's lineup, but Mets manager Willie Randolph expected Beltran to return as early as Monday.
"He could play right now if he had to," Randolph said. "It's great news, great news."
Beltran left a dent in the fence after catching Lance Berkman's fly ball in the ninth inning of New York's 4-2 win over the Astros on Saturday night.
After the catch, he made a throw to the infield, then went down to the ground. Randolph and team trainers ran out to examine him before Beltran gingerly walked off the field with help.
"You always hold your breath in those situations," Randolph said. "It's a long trot out there when you've got to leave that dugout. You say a little prayer."
Beltran was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Houston, where X-rays on the knee were negative. Beltran said he might have a precautionary MRI on Monday, when the Mets open a seven-game homestand.
Beltran took an anti-inflammatory injection after the game and said he was feeling no pain in the knee on Sunday. He said that when he first hurt the knee, he feared he'd done some serious damage.
"I was scared, yeah, of course," he said. "When I caught the ball, when I was going back to my position, I couldn't hold my weight, so I went down.
"But after I saw the X-ray, everything looked pretty normal. I was pretty happy about it."
Endy Chavez replaced Beltran in center field on Sunday.
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