Wilmer Flores set to return

If you were looking through the rookie league roundups and hadn't seen Wilmer Flores' name in a box score for a few days, don't fret. The 16-year-old phenom, who is having a marvelous season at Kingsport of the Appalachian League, hasn't played since last Tuesday because of a slightly strained oblique muscle.

He took infield practice Sunday and is symptom free so he might be back in the lineup as soon as today [Monday, July 21]. Flores, who won't turn 17 until Aug. 6, is hitting .346 with five homers and 22 RBIs through 107 at-bats. He's already earned one Appy league offensive player of the week award and despite missing a week remains in the top 10 in the league in RBIs and batting average.

The Mets have been very impressed with how the young Venezuelan has handled himself in Tennessee despite speaking only limited English. The club has him living on his own in an apartment complex with several other players and staff members, who have been keeping an eye on him. Flores has displayed a great deal of maturity and, according to everyone I spoke with, is focused on playing and not goofing off away from the field.

In other news, one source told me that the Mets have no plans to bring up Fernando Martinez or promote him to New Orleans in the near future. He returned from a hamstring strain late last month that kept him out of action for about four weeks. Martinez was hitting .296 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 250 at-bats heading into play Monday.

The source told me that the club just plans on "Martinez continuing to get his feet on the ground at Binghamton for the time being". So all those talk-show groupies who want to bring the kid up to play the outfield at Shea this season will have to be happy with Fernando Tatis unless Omar Minaya can swing a trade.