CINCINNATI -- Angel Pagan sat at his locker and showed off a purple sports drink, his primary weapon in combating the heat.

"I have to get a whole case of this," Pagan said, laughing.

He could laugh Tuesday, because tests on Pagan's blood work came back negative, two days after a bout of dehydration forced his early departure from a game in Miami. Pagan worked out with his teammates and expects to be back in the lineup on Wednesday, with local temperatures soaring back up into the mid-90s.

"I didn't hydrate myself the way I should before a game," Pagan said of the dizziness and nausea that gripped him on Sunday. "I had to come out of the game, because something worse could have happened during the game and we don't want that."

Johan on target to return to Mets by Aug. 28

CINCINNATI -- The countdown to Johan Santana's season debut is about to begin.

Santana is scheduled to begin a Minor League rehabilitation assignment Thursday for Class A St. Lucie, beginning his 30-day rehab clock. Per Major League rules, barring a setback, the Mets will then be required to activate him from the disabled list by Aug. 28.

Recovering from a torn capsule in his left shoulder, Santana will be limited to 45 pitches in his first outing against Daytona Beach, before building up his pitch count from there. The Mets have not yet announced whether Santana will complete his entire rehab at St. Lucie, or more likely, advance to a higher level of the Minors.

Santana has not pitched in an official game since undergoing surgery to repair his torn capsule last September. He initially began throwing off a mound in early June, but suffered a setback that delayed his progress several weeks.

With more than two full guaranteed seasons remaining on his six-year, $137.5 million contract, Santana has posted a 40-25 record and 2.85 ERA in three years with the Mets.

Worth noting

Less than a week after claiming outfielder Mike Baxter off waivers from the Padres, the Mets have promoted him to Triple-A Buffalo. Baxter, 26, went 7-for-16 with two doubles in four games for Double-A Binghamton.

Closer Jason Isringhausen's hip was sore after a near collision with Daniel Murphy in the ninth inning Monday, but the Mets did not consider the issue serious. Still, Isringhausen was unavailable Tuesday after throwing 29 pitches in Monday's game.