Johan Santana’s plans for this week have changed several times--or at least reports of his plans have changed several times--but now he’s officially scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with a start tomorrow at high Single-A.
That will start the 30-day clock on his rehab stint, which means barring a setback Santana is on track to return from the disabled list by August 28, which would be just over 11 months since shoulder surgery.
Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports that Santana will throw around 45 pitches in his first outing since beating the Braves with five innings of one-run ball on September 2 of last season.
Presumably he’ll make a handful of rehab starts, gradually building back his arm strength and increasing his pitch count, and then rejoin the Mets’ rotation for a half-dozen or so starts down the stretch. Santana is owed $55 million for the next two seasons, so the primary goal for the Mets should be getting him healthy and ready for 2012.
