Frazier needs rehab assignment before return

NEW YORK -- Mets third baseman Todd Frazier said on Saturday that he will need to go on a Minor League rehab assignment before he is ready to return from the 10-day disabled list, and he isn't sure when he will be ready to start one. Frazier has been on the shelf since May 8 with a strained left hamstring.
"If I gave you a timestamp, I'd be lying to you. We're taking it day by day," Frazier said before the Mets faced the D-backs at Citi Field. "It's just one of those things that I've never had it before. It's a mild strain and it takes some time to heal. So we want to be 100 percent. I'd rather lose two more weeks -- if that's the case -- than two more months, if you know what I mean."
He added that the rehab assignment is not going to be at Triple-A Las Vegas, but "somewhere closer for sure."
Frazier has done all manner of baseball activities but still feels it when he runs.
"Just running," he said. "I hit today and felt really good. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do: hitting, fielding. I haven't fielded in a couple of days, but that doesn't bother me at all either."
José Reyes has had several hamstring injuries during his career and has spoken with Frazier about the pitfalls of rushing back. Frazier said pushing it "could be detrimental."
"We were running earlier and he told me, 'I don't know if that's a good idea just yet,'" Frazier said, "and he was right."
Frazier first felt something in his hamstring a month ago while running the bases. He said it was "about three weeks" that he tried to play with it, but when he went to field a ground ball in Cincinnati on May 7 it grabbed.
"It's a slow process and it's frustrating because I want to get out there," he said. "But it's one of those things where you have to take your time."
Roster moves
The Mets on Saturday recalled right-hander Chris Flexen and catcher Tomás Nido from Triple-A Las Vegas, optioned lefty Buddy Baumann to Las Vegas and designated catcher Jose Lobaton for assignment. Manager Mickey Callaway said the club made the move because "we wanted to get another look at Nido" and the organization likes the idea of exposing him to recently acquired Devin Mesoraco.
"We have a catcher in Mesoraco who prepares the right way. He does a tremendous job of it," Callaway said. "When you're in Triple-A, it's really tough to simulate what you have to go through in the big leagues. We sat down with Nido today, and he's going to really pay attention to what Mesoraco is doing and learn how to prepare the right way."