"Carlos Delgado was back in the Mets' clubhouse Tuesday, dressed in street clothes instead of a uniform, hobbling around on crutches instead of playing baseball. He's hoping that will change later this year, but for now, Delgado is still recovering from his second hip surgery.

The 37-year-old free agent and former Mets first baseman has spent the last eight weeks in Vail, Colo., where he underwent surgery to reconstruct the labrum in his right hip. He visited his former teammates before their series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field, chatting at length with Alex Cora and Johan Santana, among others.

"Obviously, the plan is to end up playing somewhere, sometime," Delgado said. "But the most important thing is just I want to bounce back and recuperate and see what happens. I don't want to start thinking too far down the road until I see how the rehab is going and all that."

Delgado hasn't played in a major-league game since May 10, 2009. He missed the rest of last season after undergoing surgery to repair a tear in the labrum and remove a bone spur.

The Mets monitored his progress during winter ball in Puerto Rico. But they were not convinced he was mobile enough to play the field and instead opted to stick with Daniel Murphy at first."