The Mets might’ve activated P Steve Trachsel, but that doesn’t you’ll be seeing him on the mound this week at Bank One Ballpark writes MLB.com’s Marty Noble :

The Mets have no role for Trachsel, no inning or innings for him to pitch, no room for him in the rotation as it is currently constituted, no need for pitching experience in the bullpen as his experience is currently constituted. And accordingly, Trachsel has no idea what he’s supposed to do Tuesday when he shows up at Bank One Ballpark.

“My role is I pitch if Victor [Zambrano, the scheduled starter] can’t. And that’s not a role,” Trachsel said after batting practice Monday.

So Trachsel is as confused as he is ready to pitch. And is he ready to pitch? “Absoluletly,” he said. Then, after a brief pause, he clarified: “Ready to start.”

Trachsel has refused to pitch in relief. He met Monday with Randolph and pitching coach Rick Peterson, and nothing of that nature was said. He just doesn’t think he can — he doesn’t think a situation will arise that will allow him to prepare to pitch as a reliever. He needs to throw 60 pitches in the bullpen and needs about 20 minutes to throw those 60 pitches.

Chances are Randolph won’t be calling on him with a runner on second and two outs in the seventh. Or at all.

“I would think,” Randolph said, “it would have to be an emergency.”

Favorite CSTB pinata Tom Glavine was tremendous against Arizona last night, at several points driving the D-Backs radio crew nuts with his assortment of 85 MPH “fastballs” and off-speed junk they figured anyone with two arms could hit. Speaking with Newsday’s David Lennon, Glavine credits the BOB’s groovy strip between the mound and home, and rejoices at the sound of his personal cash register going off.

As for Glavine, he upped his record to 8-1 at the BOB with a 1.37 ERA in nine career starts, and explained that his dominance at this retractable dome could be traced to his love affair with the field’s throwback design.

“The only thing that I can semi put a finger on is that there’s something about that stripe from the mound to home plate that locks me in,” Glavine said. “It makes me feel good about my target, where I’m trying to go and where I’m trying to step with my pitches. It kind of gives you a little sense of tunnel vision, and for me that’s good.”

On the 18th anniversary of his first career victory, Glavine also moved considerably closer to earning his $8-million option for next year, and stands basically one more start — 6 1/3 innings away – from having it automatically kick in.

The entire package can be worth as much as $10 million if Glavine reaches two more innings-related hurdles, plus incentives, and he seems to be on pace for cashing in. Of course, Glavine, whose season was sideswiped by a freak taxi accident last year, isn’t about to start counting his money just yet.

“A lot of strange things happen,” said Glavine, knocking on the wood paneling of his locker.