The New York Mets have not yet made it official, but after Johan Santana reported he "felt great" in his bullpen session Saturday, the lefty should be set to start on Opening Day next Thursday at Citi Field.
Santana is trying to put the finishing touches on his comeback from the left shoulder surgery that cost him the entire 2011 season, and said he came out of Saturday in good shape.
"Today I had a good day," he told reporters. "I warmed up, everything was good. I did a couple ups and downs with my bullpen, and I felt great."
While Santana cautioned reporters that he and the team still needed to "go one step at a time," he acknowledged he was getting into position to open the season Thursday against the Atlanta Braves.
"... If everything goes right, I'll be there," he said.
The progress left Santana enthused about finally returning after facing a long road back following his surgery on Sept. 14, 2010.
"It's great, man. It's great," he told reporters. "I mean, I work hard. And to be here right now, and to be able to do everything the way it was supposed to be done, didn't miss one day, is huge for me."
Santana, who struggled through his last outing when he threw 88 pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, said it will continue to be a process for him to steadily work his way back into his routine.
"But we still have to work," he said. "We're not done yet. We're just at the beginning of everything. The season hasn't even started. And I just got to get into that routine where you go 80-plus, 90-plus pitches every five games. In order to do that, I have to get into a season. And that's what we're looking forward to."
