Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano shut down indefinitely with heart condition

Left-handed reliever Pedro Feliciano was shut down yesterday due to an irregular heartbeat, reports Marc Carig of Newsday. Further tests revealed that this was due to a small hole in the exterior of his heart and the condition is not life-threatening, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

The 36-year-old signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets this offseason and was expected to compete for a left-handed specialist’s role during spring training. Rubin reports that he has returned to Mets camp this morning, but the veteran hurler is unsure if he is cleared for baseball activities at this point.

Feliciano was the Mets primary LOOGy from 2006 to 2010 and he lead the team in appearances each season from 2008-2010. After the 2010 season he signed a two-year deal with the Yankees, but injuries kept him from ever taking the mound in the Bronx. The Mets never truly found a suitable replacement for the workhorse lefty, however.

Last season their two primary lefty relievers, Tim Byrdak and Josh Edgin both posted ERAs well over 4.00 and the Mets bullpen was the second worst in baseball. Despite pitching just 10 innings in the past two years, Feliciano appeared to have a real shot at making the team if he can show that he is finally healthy.

There is no estimate as to when Feliciano will be able to resume throwing, but surgery has not been mentioned, so it may simply be something that requires additional monitoring as the pitcher ramps up his workload. Since he has returned to Port St. Lucie to rejoin the team, it would appear that he expects to start practicing again shortly.