When Robinson Cano turned first base against the Pirates back on Aug. 4 and pulled up in pain, Mets fans started thinking the worst. Cano didn't even bother walking back to first base and was tagged out before limping his way back to the dugout, grabbing his hamstring along the way.

The diagnosis was a torn hamstring, an injury that doctors said would be six to 12 weeks to recover. Cano's season, then, seemed to be over.

But it's Sept. 3, and as the Mets begin a series against the Nationals on the road tonight, Cano was activated off the IL and will be available off the bench. It was only a four-week recovery for the veteran second baseman, and unlike the rest of us, he's not surprised that he's back in a Mets uniform right now.

"Well I don't want to say that I'm surprised because I worked really hard," Cano told reporters. "I'm just happy to be back right now."

Cano said he was walking normally around day four after the initial diagnosis, which Mets trainers were surprised by.

"I would say like day four I was walking good with no discomfort," he said. "One of the trainers said that was a good sign you're walking normal because [when] guys take longer to walk, it takes longer to heal. So I never stopped working and I love this game so much. It's hard sitting on the bench every game."

Cano added that he feels 100 percent and won't be focused on how hard he's running when he puts the ball in play. When that will be is still unknown, as he made sure to note that he isn't sure how he's going to be used going forward.

The Mets are obviously in the Wild Card race, and Cano was swinging a hot bat before hitting the IL. He was hitting .289/.318/.578 with six homers and 14 homers in the second half of the season, and averaged .306 over his last 12 games.

So having that type of production back in the lineup is definitely wanted for this Mets team, but Cano will just wait for his opportunity. No matter where it comes.

"Just whatever," he said. "Whenever they want me in there, whatever it is I'm just happy to be back."

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