At MetsGeek, Alex Nelson looks at some of the Mets' recent draftees who are playing in the low minors right now.

After delaying his own return by a couple of days, Luis Castillo is expected to be activated from the disabled list in time for tonight's game against the Astros.

John Maine is in pain and may be shut down for the season. Brian Stokes, much?

The inimitable John Sickels takes a look at Daniel Murphy in a column he calls "Where Did This Guy Come From?". Here's John's conclusion:

So is Murphy a fluke? Yes and no. He won't hit .350 in a full season, and I don't think he will be a big-time classic power-hitting corner outfielder. However, he does a lot of things genuinely well, gets on base, has some pop in his bat, looks really good defensively in the outfield, and could play in the infield if needed. I like the way he controls the strike zone; his BB/K/AB ratio is excellent and projects very well for his future. This is an example of a guy who was a polished college player who has been able to take his game ot the next level. He's fun to root for, and the Mets should get good use out of him over the coming seasons.

Sounds about right to me. Murphy could wind up being a late-career Brian Giles-type: very good on-base skills with so-so power, the combination of which has plenty of value, especially at or around the league minimum salary.

If you didn't already know, Bergen Record columnist Bob Klapisch has been playing amateur baseball for years, pitching for a number of local teams as well as the occasional press day game at Yankee Stadium. If you didn't know that, then you probably also didn't know that he was hit in the right eye by a batted ball back on July 10, suffering a sliced cornea, detached retina, and a ruptured eye socket, in addition to breaking most of his right facial bones. Doctors told him he would probably never see out of his right eye again, but after several surgeries he is beginning to see blurry images and is expected to regain "good" vision in the eye by New Year's. Klap has done his share of ripping the Mets over the years, but he's one of the best sportswriters around and we all wish him a speedy recovery.