PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Tom Martin carried a glove, a baseball and the boot he had been given to protect his calf as he left the Mets' Spring Training clubhouse Tuesday, not to return until Thursday afternoon. The Mets aren't scheduled to play a game of any kind Wednesday. Martin intends to play his own game, though. He, wearing the boot on his right leg, and Tim Redding will play catch.

Redding will toss the baseball, knowing he is to make his second appearance of the spring Thursday night against the Marlins, after Johan Santana makes his spring debut. And Martin will toss the ball with a new sense of purpose. The Mets' release of Duaner Sanchez on Tuesday enhances the roster chances of Martin and the other left-handed relievers in camp. And at the same time, the move will make winning a job as a reserve outfielder more difficult.

Gone with Sanchez is any likelihood the Mets will carry six relievers when the season begins. Now they are probably going to carry seven, including Pedro Feliciano and another left-hander, and thereby limit the number of reserve position players to five -- Fernando Tatis, Alex Cora, Ramon Castro, Marlon Anderson and a fourth outfielder, probably Jeremy Reed.

Though the Mets recognized Sanchez as a "crossover" pitcher -- one capable of dealing with right-handed and left-handed batters -- they didn't expect him to be what they needed overall, hence the release that leaves them without an obvious crossover candidate and, as a consequence, creates the need for a different right-handed reliever and a left-handed counterpart.

For now, the bullpen includes Feliciano, Francisco Rodriguez, J.J. Putz, Sean Green and a long man, possibly Redding if Livan Hernandez claims the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Brian Stokes, Matt DeSalvo and rookie Bobby Parnell appear to be the right-handed pitchers with the best chances of winning a roster spot, unless the club decides it wants Rule 5 Draft acquisition Darren O'Day to replace Joe Smith as the sub-sidearm specialist. That could happen if a second left-handed setup man is in the 'pen.

Martin, who strained his right calf last week, Ron Villone, Casey Fossum, Heriberto Ruelas, Valerio De Los Santos and Jon Switzer are the other left-handed relievers in camp.

Their 2008 resumes are lacking. Martin didn't pitch in the big leagues last year after suffering an injury with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Fossum allowed 62 baserunners in 41 1/3 innings for the Tigers; Ruelas allowed 60 baserunners in 35 innings in the Mexican League. De Los Santos allowed 11 walks and six hits in eight innings with the Rockies, and Switzer allowed 117 baserunners in 7 2/3 innings with the Red Sox's Triple-A Pawtucket affiliate.

Villone fared adequately last season with the Cardinals, holding left-handed batters to a .176 average. But he was inconsistent in general and wholly ineffective against right-handers, and for those reasons, he was not invited back to St. Louis. Villone came to Mets Spring Training with the built-in disadvantage of being a late signee, but his 1 2/3 perfect innings to date -- including one against the Nationals on Tuesday -- have combined with Martin's injury and Sanchez's release to place him among the prime candidates for a bullpen job.

"We feel very comfortable and confident with the group that we have to choose from," manager Jerry Manuel said Tuesday. "[Sanchez's release] gives us a chance to evaluate a little further some of the people we have not seen. Sometimes that can be dangerous, because it is Spring Training. But ... you feel pretty good when you see good stuff."

Notes: Mike Pelfrey is to throw Wednesday, an off-day for the big league camp, in the Minor League camp. If all goes well with the strained muscle in his left leg, he will start Saturday. ... The Mets, preferring to keep their starters on regular schedules of rest, will also have Jonathon Niese pitch to Minor Leaguers on Wednesday morning. ... John Maine said he felt markedly better about his start against the Nationals on Tuesday, despite the five runs he allowed over three innings in a game that ended as a 5-5 tie. "It was like night and day compared to last time," said Maine, who berated himself after struggling with location last week against Team Italy.