David Wright was injured on this play. Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
NEW YORK — By the end of this week, the New York Mets should know if what general manager Sandy Alderson dubbed “The Wright Situation” is going to get any better soon, or a whole lot worse.
Third baseman David Wright, the Mets’ captain as well as their longest-tenured, most-expensive and increasingly most injury-prone player, is spending the week undergoing physical therapy in California with back and spinal specialist Dr. Robert Watkins.
Wright went on the disabled list April 15 with a right hamstring strain but has been slowed in recent weeks by a lower back soreness that was diagnosed last week as spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal column.
Alderson, who spoke before the Mets’ 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, said Wright and the Mets have been consulting with Watkins but that Wright thought a visit to his office might hasten his recovery.
“Our doctors all concurred that it might be a good idea to go out there and perhaps be examined directly by Dr. Watkins and physical therapy, see if there’s some magic fingers,” Alderson said.
Some magical healing powers would certainly benefit Wright. Since signing an eight-year contract worth $138 million in December 2012, Wright has missed 115 of the Mets’ 370 games due to hamstring, shoulder and back injuries. He missed just 103 games between his big league debut in 2004 and the end of the 2012 season.
This latest injury is the most concerning, given that Wright’s lone serious injury in his first nine seasons was a stress fracture in his lower back in 2011 and that ex-Mets star Lenny Dykstra’s career was shortened by spinal stenosis. But Alderson said Monday that it’s too early to know if Wright’s condition will hamper him for the rest of his career.
The Mets need to know soon, though, if Wright will be back, well, soon. The Mets have tried to get by with in-house options at third base, but Wright’s replacements are hitting just .233 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 129 at-bats after rookie Danny Muno went 0-for-4 Monday.
Wright is not the only projected starter sidelined for an extended period of time — Alderson used the word “situation” to also describe the absence of catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who hasn’t played since suffering a broken right ring finger on April 19 but is expected to return during a road trip that begins June 1.
As for Wright’s replacement, Alderson hinted there aren’t many options available more than two months before the trading deadline. He didn’t speak about third baseman Casey McGehee, whom the San Francisco Giants designed for assignment Sunday, but Alderson said, “There’s usually a reason that they’re designated for assignment” when talking about released players in general.
“I think realistically, we have to get the job done with what we have, at least in the near-term,” Alderson said.
But Alderson may be looking beyond the near-term if the news doesn’t get any better for Wright by the end of the week.
“Honestly, until three or four days ago, we felt this was going to be a very temporary situation,” Alderson said. “As we continue to have setbacks, you have to kind of reassess how to go forward. I think we’re a handful of days away from hopefully knowing something that will give us a better idea at this point and a more concrete idea of when he’ll be back.”
