Keith Hernandez nearing return to Mets’ SNY booth

At a time when the New York Mets are in search of reinforcements, their broadcast booth is about to get a big one with Keith Hernandez.

Hernandez underwent back surgery on Tuesday, April 10. And according to Anthony Rieber of Newsday, the Mets Hall-of-Famer is due back to the broadcast booth Monday, May 4, where he’s expected to join the team in Colorado during their road trip.

The back issues for Hernandez seemed to flare up on the Mets’ first road trip of the season, forcing him to leave a series in St. Louis early. And for Hernandez to miss out on trips to St. Louis and San Francisco, the pain had to be bad. But Hernandez did return to the booth during the Mets’ next home stand, where he announced his looming surgery and recovery plans.

Initially, Hernandez claimed he was expecting to be back on Friday, April 24th, for the Mets’ home series against the Colorado Rockies. But returning to the booth less than two weeks after back surgery seemed unlikely, with Hernandez now slated to rejoin the broadcast against the Rockies on May 4.

Now it’s on the Mets to make Hernandez’s return worthwhile. In his absence, the Mets dug themselves a deep hole, losing 12 games in a row. For what it’s worth, no team has ever come back from a 12-game losing streak to make the postseason in MLB history. The one thing the Mets have going for them, however, is the fact that MLB hasn’t had the Wild Card for most of its history, and now each league has three.

Since the 12-game losing streak, the Mets have now managed to get back-to-back wins, albeit in less than convincing fashion. But with games against the Rockies, Nationals, and Angels on their schedule before Hernandez’s return, the Mets have an opportunity to get their season back on track, or dig themselves an even deeper hole. Either way, Mets fans need Hernandez back. Because if the Mets are going to be good, Hernandez should be there. And if the Mets are going to be bad, the trio of Hernandez, Gary Cohen, and Ron Darling can keep the games a little bit more watchable.