Spring training position battles

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New York Mets: Shortstop

Do the Mets need a Plan B at short? Updating Thursday's item, it appears Jose Reyes' status has taken another turn, this time for the worse. The Mets shortstop, who has yet to see Grapefruit League action, was scratched from his second straight game and will return to New York for further tests after doctors discovered a thyroid imbalance. The tests will be Monday, and results could take up to 48 hours, meaning Reyes is likely to miss at least the team's first nine spring games. That's not good news for a player who needs to show he's recovered from an injury-riddled 2009.

This situation also begs the question: With the underwhelming duo of Alex Cora and Anderson Hernandez as the current backups, at what point might Mets general manager Omar Minaya consider looking at outside options for shortstop help?

To see more position battles -- including a young infielder the Rays may not be able to ignore -- you must be an ESPN Insider.

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