Pedro might not return to Mets until June
3-time Cy Young Award winner strained his left hamstring on April 1
 | Mets starting pitcher Pedro Martinez, left, is escorted off the field after an injury on April 1. |
J. Pat Carter / AP |
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NEW YORK - The New York Mets will be without pitcher Pedro Martinez for longer than first anticipated.
According to a report in Tuesday's New York Post, Martinez's strained left hamstring will keep him off the mound until at least the middle of May, and possibly until June.
The 36-year-old righthander originally suffered the injury during his first start of the season on April 1 - a 5-4 loss in 10 innings to the Florida Marlins.
Martinez allowed four runs and four hits before being removed from the game in the fourth inning after he reported hearing a "pop" in his hamstring.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner was expected to miss four to six weeks, but general manager Omar Minaya isn't taking any chances.
"We're definitely going to be more conservative with him," Minaya told the Post. "With hamstrings, you just never know. We've got to be careful."
This is the third straight season that the once-dominant righthander has been placed on the DL. Martinez missed most of 2007 due to rotator cuff surgery, returning in September to post a 3-1 record and 2.57 ERA in five starts.
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