Niese to continue recovery with Minor League outing

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Jon Niese will continue his road to recovery on Thursday morning with two innings in a Minor League game at the Mets' Spring Training complex. It will be his first game action since an MRI last week revealed no structural damage in his sore left shoulder.

David Wright, who has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game out of a desire to preserve his overall health, will be among those batting against Niese. Wright does not know when he will make his official spring debut, but that could come as soon as this weekend.

"I feel like I'm ready," Wright said. "It's ultimately their call."

Also set to appear in the Minor League game are Bartolo Colon, who has yet to appear in a Spring Training contest, and rehabbing closer Bobby Parnell. The Mets are scheduled to play in an additional "B" game against the Astros at Kissimmee, Fla., as well as their regularly scheduled Grapefruit League game. With 64 players still in camp, the idea behind the pseudo-tripleheader is to provide as many innings for the bloated pitching staff as possible.