" Johan Santana returned to the lonely business of rehab Friday, the day after throwing three scoreless innings in his first rehab start. But it was a little sweeter than the usual daily drudgery because he felt he had recovered so well from his outing.

"Alive," he said, jokingly, while sitting at a picnic table under a tree at the Mets ' minor-league complex. "No, I felt good. I think better than what I thought I was .going to feel. I'm definitely very happy with the way everything feels Saturday."

Santana went through a sweaty workout on a humid, 90-degree day, playing catch and doing fielding drills. At one point, he backed up and played long-toss with a partner from about 200 feet away.

"That's something I do on a regular basis," said Santana, who is trying to come back from last September's shoulder surgery. "The more you stretch it, the more you have an idea how it feels and I was doing it without any problems. That's what you're looking for."

The lefthander is slated to throw another bullpen session Saturday, and if everything goes well, he said he would probably make another start for Class-A St. Lucie on Wednesday when the team plays in nearby Jupiter.

As optimistic as Santana felt, he's still preaching caution. He knows how unpredictable recovery can be and he sounds like he wants to temper expectations, from his own to those of Met fans. He wants to pitch in the majors, and the Mets would like him to do so, just to ease any doubts about his left shoulder going into the winter."