John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

TAMPA -- Having missed all of last season with surgery in April to remove bone spurs on both of his heels, Troy Tulowitzki seemed to have something of a message for Yoenis Cespedes:

Good luck.

"The surgery was really, really similar (to what Cespedes had)," Tulowitzki said at Yankees camp on Wednesday. "It's not easy to come back from, I'll tell you that."

Tulowitzki said he had surgery on both heels at the same time, whereas Cespedes had the individual surgeries a few months apart last year. Other than that, the new Yankee shortstop didn't go into detail about his rehab, but apparently it was more difficult than he expected.

At the time of the surgery, on April 2nd last year, the Blue Jays were saying they thought Tulowitzki would be back at some point during the season, perhaps as early as mid-season.

It's not clear whether the longer rehab, or the ultimate decision that he wouldn't play at all in 2018, had anything to do with the Blue Jays' decision to release him during the offseason, even though they still owe him $38 million on his contract.

As for Cespedes, he is down in Port St. Lucie with the Mets, continuing his rehab regimen. Though he has awhile to go -- he hasn't ran or swung a bat yet -- the veteran outfielder does believe he will make it back this season.

"At this moment, I do feel like I will return," Cespedes told the media through a translator over the weekend. "It may be three months, it may be two months, it may be one month."

There has been progress, as Cespedes noted "When I used to wake up, I would struggle walking. At this stage in the rehab, I can walk without any pain." He is also expected to throw at some point this week.

The Mets still have no definitive timetable as to when Cespedes will return to the team. But, when he does, Cespedes hopes he can make an immediate impact.

"What I can say is we have a great team and god-willing when I get back, I'll do the best I can," he said.

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