Andres Torres Returns to Mets' Lineup Against Astros HOUSTON - Andres Torres was back in the Mets" lineup Tuesday night for their game against the Houston Astros, playing for the first time since straining his left calf on opening day. As it happened, the first teammate Torres ran into at the team hotel here was the rookie Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who has been thriving in center field and in the leadoff spot in Torres's absence. Torres said, "I told him: "I'm happy with what you're doing. You're playing great." " Torres, who went through a careful rehabilitation program in Port St. Lucie, Fla., before testing his calf in the cold weather with Class AAA Buffalo, reclaimed his spot in center field but not atop the batting order. Nieuwenhuis, who made a spectacular diving catch in the team's game Sunday afternoon, was moved to left field, a position he has not played. Nieuwenhuis batted first, and Torres seventh. "We looked up a lot of numbers; Andres Torres is a pretty good center fielder," Manager Terry Collins said. Kirk's played the corners in spring training; maybe he hasn't during the season. He's athletic enough. He can play out there. But Collins elected to keep Nieuwenhuis in the leadoff spot because the Mets had 48 hits last weekend during their three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. Nieuwenhuis, who has batted first in 10 of his past 12 games, began Monday with a .316 average and .381 on-base percentage this season. "I don't want to mess up the first four guys," Collins said. Collins also said that he wanted Torres, who missed most of spring training with the same injury, to have more at-bats and that Torres, a switch-hitter, was valuable to break up the left-handed hitters in the bottom of the Mets" order. Because of his injuries, Torres, who came to the Mets last winter in a trade with the San Francisco Giants, has not had much of a chance to prove himself in a Mets uniform. There is enough playing time to go around in the Mets" outfield for now, but that could change in several weeks, when Jason Bay recovers from his rib injury. "I'm a team player," Torres said. I don't have a problem playing any position. But Torres's speed will be much welcomed by the Mets, who entered Monday tied with three teams for the fewest stolen bases in baseball. "Now that I'm healthy, I want to steal bases, make things happen," Torres said. PELFREY'S SURGERY The right-hander Mike Pelfrey will have season-ending Tommy John surgery Tuesday, according to John Ricco, the Mets" assistant general manager. Pelfrey, who went on the disabled list last week after a magnetic resonance imaging exam showed inflammation in his elbow, was examined Monday in Gulf Breeze, Fla., by Dr. James Andrews. Pelfrey has a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. "There's a pretty well determined rehab protocol in place, and he'll follow that, depending on what they find in surgery," Ricco said. The feedback we got was that there wasn't anything extraordinary about this. The typical recovery time for Tommy John surgery is about one year, which means Pelfrey, who will be eligible for free agency after the 2013 season, becomes a likely candidate to be nontendered this winter. Meanwhile, Ricco said the Mets had no plans to augment the staff with a pitcher from outside the organization. "We're always looking, but nothing is specifically going on right now," Ricco said. I think we have some guys in the organization right now who deserve a chance, so I think we're going to look there first. Chris Schwinden, who started in Pelfrey's place last Friday, is scheduled to pitch Wednesday. Meanwhile, Chris Young continued his recovery from shoulder surgery with a simulated game Monday in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and Ricco said the team expected him to be ready to pitch by the end of May. DUDA AND FRANCISCO OUT Two Mets players were unavailable Monday because of minor medical issues. Outfielder Lucas Duda was not in the lineup because he was feeling flulike symptoms Monday morning. Terry Collins said he hoped it would be a one-day absence. "He feels terrible today," Collins said. He's got a hooded sweatshirt on, another jacket on top of that, and a heating pad on. Meanwhile, closer Frank Francisco was not available Monday because he was feeling soreness in his right hamstring. Francisco said the issue began Saturday. Collins said that he wanted to give Francisco a rest and that he would be ready to pitch Tuesday. He speculated the injury could have had something to do with dehydration caused by the dry climate and high altitude in Denver.