Major League Baseball

Former Mets slugger Delgado visit former teammates

Published Apr. 14, 2010 1:37 a.m. ET

foxsports

Free-agent slugger Carlos Delgado took a break from his rehab following hip surgery to visit his former New York Mets teammates at Coors Field.

The first baseman said he's focused on getting healthy and not on his return to baseball. The 37-year-old Delgado has said he still hopes to play.

Dr. Marc Philippon, who also repaired Alex Rodriguez's hip last year, operated on Delgado in Vail, Colo., in February. It was Delgado's second hip surgery in nine months. His first operation was in New York.

``I'm getting a lot more Colorado than I bargained for,'' Delgado told The Associated Press as he watched batting practice from the Mets dugout before the game against the Colorado Rockies.

``I've been in Vail for almost nine weeks now. Getting my work done. I don't do a whole lot, I go in and get my work done in the morning and then go home and play with the kids and then go back in the afternoon and go do my PT then go back and hang out. I wasn't expecting summer weather here.''

Delgado played 26 games for the Mets last season before the injury stopped him. He played winter ball in Puerto Rico and was working out while trying to latch on with a team when he opted for a second operation.

``I'm feeling great,'' Delgado said. ``Things are going good. It's been eight weeks. A lot of rehab and I've been on crutches for eight weeks and everything is good.''

He didn't want to talk about potential suitors, however.

``Oh, I'm not talking baseball,'' he said. ``I'm talking rehab. That's the most important thing. My main concern is to get healthy and then we deal with whatever phone calls we get and whatever options I have in front of me.''

Delgado said he'll ditch his crutches on Wednesday and expects to be running soon. He also said he doesn't view his protracted rehab as a chore.

``I don't see it that way, if you want to get better you have to put your time in,'' Delgado said. ``You can't expect to be great by sitting at home and not doing your rehab and not doing the exercises you're supposed to do. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, pay the price for that short period of time and move on.''