Jenrry Mejia will not pitch in a game for at least six weeks due to tendinitis in his elbow, according to Jorge Castillo of The Star Ledger.

“I feel a little pain, not much,” Mejia said. “But sometimes a little pain turns into a lot so you don’t want to force anything. It’s better to not force anything to get ready and finish the season healthy.”

Mejia will be idle for two weeks, after which he will start a month-long throwing program with hopes of returning to game action after that.

An MRI did not reveal any structural damage, according to Castillo.

Mejia tore his mediate collateral ligament in May 2011 and had Tommy John surgery, which kept him from pitching for a year.

Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

It always seems like it’s one step forward, and two steps backward for Mejia; he just can’t seem to settle into a role get himself on track. Ultimately, I expected Mejia to go to the minors and work as a starter anyway, but this elbow injury is quite alarming, considering he is only about two years removed from Tommy John Surgery. This undoubtedly sets Mejia back once again, as it keeps him from refining his stuff and developing into an effective Major League pitcher.

Matt den Dekker left today’s game against the Tigers after injuring his wrist jumping after a ball in center field.

den Dekker had x-rays performed and he was diagnosed with a broken wrist.

He will travel to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, at which point it will be determined whether or not he needs surgery.

den Dekker was 0-for-2 at the plate today, and was hitting .205 on the spring.

Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

That’s awful news. I was really rooting for him, and he was a lot of fun to watch in the outfield this spring. He was absolutely spectacular in center field this spring, and it was clear the team was still considering him for the big league roster as of this afternoon. He injured his wrist trying to make another great catch today, but this one just did him in. Hopefully he doesn’t need surgery, and he can get back on the field in Las Vegas and continue to work.

Terry Collins said on Saturday Daniel Murphy could play in a minor league game tomorrow, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

However, Collins isn’t sure if Murphy will be ready for Opening Day.

“The last time he played in a minor league game he rushed it and he took a huge step backward. I will be the first guy in the morning to make sure he does not overdo it tomorrow,” Collins said, according to Rubin.

Update – Mar. 24, 2:25 pm: Murphy played five innings at second base during a minor league game, and went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk.

Murphy said he expects to be ready for Opening Day (Carig, Newsday).

Update – Mar. 24, 8:53 am: Murphy has been cleared to play in a minor league game today (Rubin, ESPN New York).

Murphy strained his intercostal muscle in mid-February and has not played in a Grapefruit League game yet this spring.

Murphy played in a minor league game last weekend, but hasn’t since due to persistent stiffness in his side.

Provided Murphy doesn’t appear in a Major League game this week, the Mets can backdate his stint on the disabled list for ten days, meaning he might only have to miss the first five days of the season.

Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

Mar. 23, 4:41 pm: If Murphy isn’t ready to go, I would think that means Jordany Valdespin will be the team’s Opening Day second baseman. Alternatively, Valdespin could be used in a platoon along with Justin Turner at second until Murphy gets back, and can play the outfield on days they face a left-handed starter. That way, the Mets can continue to evaluate Valdespin’s bat against both lefties and righties, while playing him everyday.

This morning at Tradition Field, David Wright participated in a full batting practice during pre-game workouts.

It was the first time Wright has hit since he was shutdown during the World Baseball Classic last week.

Wright told reporters he felt no pain during batting practice today, although he is unsure what the next step in his rehab will be.

“Everything seems to be on track for him for Opening Day,” Anthony DiComo of MLB.com said on Twitter.

Yesterday, Sandy Alderson said he believes Wright’s goal of being ready for Opening Day is still realistic, although not a certainty, according to Marc Carig of Newsday.

Wright was diagnosed with a strained intercostal muscle last week and received a cortisone shot at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Johan Santana will probably stay behind in Florida as the team breaks camp and heads north for Opening Day, Terry Collins said to reporters on Friday.

Collins said Santana is behind in his long-toss program. He did not broach the topic of Santana to the DL, though.

Update – Mar. 23, 4:00 pm: Terry Collins believes Santana will be ready in six weeks (Carig, Newsday).

Update – Mar. 23, 8:38 am: Santana told reporters he will throw a 90 foot long-toss session today.

Santana also said his shoulder is not strong and it doesn’t feel great – he is unsure when he will pitch this season, nor does he know when his next bullpen session will be.

Santana said team doctors feel his shoulder is structurally sound, it’s just been a slow process to recover 100 percent.

Santana has dealt with weakness in his left shoulder, and has not pitched in a Grapefruit League game this spring.

Santana was shutdown on August 17 and placed on the disabled list on August 22 with what the team characterized as lower back stiffness. However, Sandy Alderson said on WFAN on Thursday Santana was suffering more from general fatigue due to his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery he underwent in September, 2010.

Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

Mar 22, 5:35 pm: This comes as no surprise. Santana hasn’t been on a mound in more than two weeks, and wasn’t able to complete a bullpen through that time either. Based on what Collins said today, it sounds like Santana has a long way to go before even thinking about another bullpen. Whenever he can complete a few normal cycles, he will then have to start building up his innings in simulated games or minor league rehab games before even thinking about starting in a big league game. Hopefully that’s sooner rather than later, but I get the feeling Santana is at least a month away, if not longer…

Mar 23, 9:50 am: If Santana is going to be out for an extended period of time (it sounds like he will be), I wonder what all of this means for Zack Wheeler. Yes, they have to consider his “Super Two” arbitration eligibility in a couple of years, but if Wheeler is performing in April down in Vegas, the Mets have to at least explore the possibility of promoting him the big leagues. I don’t think there’s a chance Wheeler will break camp with the Mets – it’s clear Hefner will replace Santana for now. And, in order to prevent Wheeler from accruing a full year of service time in 2013, they have to wait until after the 20th day of the regular season before bringing him up.

Per MLB rules, a player accrues a full year of Major League service time if he spends 172 of the 182 days on the active roster or on the Major League disabled list. If a player is optioned to the minor leagues for 20 days or less, he is credited with big league service time as well.

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Frank Francisco expects to throw live batting practice soon.

If all goes well, Francisco expects to appear in a minor league game this week.

However, Puma says it remains unlikely Francisco breaks camp with the team next Saturday, as he is likely to open the season on the disabled list.

Update – 12:05 pm: Francisco threw live batting practice today, throwing 25 pitches and using his entire repertoire (Castillo, Star Ledger).

Update – 11:55 am: Francisco is still dealing with elbow soreness, and so he still needs a few more weeks to get ready (Carig, Newsday).

Francisco had surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow in December. He had been shutdown early in camp after experiencing discomfort in his elbow.

Francisco went 1-3 with a 5.53 ERA in 48 relief appearances in 2012, having allowed 26 earned runs, 47 hits, 21 walks with 47 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings in 2012 – he was shutdown after September 16 after being diagnosed with right elbow soreness.

Provided Francisco doesn’t appear in a Major League game this week, the Mets can backdate his stint on the disabled list for ten days, meaning he might only have to miss the first five days of the season.

Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

Assuming Francisco returns relatively soon, I don’t think he will necessarily find himself as the team’s closer. Terry Collins, Dan Warthen and Sandy Alderson have said that if Bobby Parnell is successful as the closer, he won’t relinquish the responsibility when Francisco is ready. I still think Parnell will have to earn his keep, but if it isn’t broken, the Mets aren’t going to fix it, just because Francisco was signed to be the team’s closer at a high price.

The question is – at least at the beginning – where does Francisco fit in the bullpen mix? Also, who becomes the casualty in the bullpen when Francisco comes back? Those aren’t easy questions to answer, especially if the bullpen is performing well in Francisco’s absence…

Shaun Marcum will start next Thursday’s game against the Nationals in Viera, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

Earlier this week, Marcum took a cortisone shot in his right shoulder, but said he expected to make his next start.

Rubin says Marcum will be in line to pitch the second game of the season against San Diego, after which Matt Harvey will pitch the third game, and Dillon Gee will open the series against the Marlins.

According to Rubin, it remains unclear whether or not the team will use Jeremy Hefner in the fifth game, or if they’ll use the off-day and skip his turn in the rotation the first time through.

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Terry Collins is unsure if Daniel Murphy will be ready for Opening Day.

“We had a conversation this morning. He said, ‘I’ll be ready by Opening Day.’ I said, ‘Well, let’s talk about that next Wednesday or Thursday,’” Collins said, according to Rubin.

Murphy strained his intercostal muscle in mid-February and has not played in a Grapefruit League game yet this spring.

Murphy played in a minor league game last weekend, but hasn’t since due to persistent stiffness in his side.

As long as Murphy doesn’t appear in a Major League game between now and Opening Day, the Mets can backdate a potential stint on the disabled list, only requiring him to miss the first five games of the season.

For Michael Baron’s thoughts on who might start at second base if Murphy isn’t ready, check out this post to MetsBlog from earlier today.