MAKE THE WRIGHT MOVE
Mets must get Jose ready at 3rd
JUPITER — David Wright is being smart; now it’s time for the Mets to be, too. After visiting the Mets’ team doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and being diagnosed with an impingement and some instability in his right shoulder, the veteran third baseman is going to see his own doctors for a second opinion, two sources confirmed Wednesday morning.
Even as the reality sank in that the Mets are going to need Jose Reyes to play third for a significant portion of the 2017 season, they had the 33-year-old out chasing down fly balls in center field Wednesday morning. This idea of using Reyes in the outfield was a reach when GM Sandy Alderson floated it as a way to get Reyes more at-bats over the winter and it’s even odder now.
Depth and versatility were a luxury for the Mets when they had a healthy roster. Now it is just kind of pointless. Not only is Wright doubtful for Opening Day, but first baseman Lucas Duda is just beginning to hit after a back spasm and injections in his hips last week. The infield needs bodies at this point.
Terry Collins admitted Wednesday afternoon that Reyes needs to turn his full focus to third base now.
“We got to be careful because we’ve got to get him
ready to play third right now,” the Mets manager said. “I certainly think he is athletic enough to do it. I watched him catch balls four or five days ago and he runs them down just fine. You put a second deck on stadiums, it’s a little different.
“He’s not a guy you are going to run out there to start a game, he’s a guy you got to double switch and you need somebody to play center field, he might be the guy,” Collins said. “He’s not going to get a lot of time in center field, but if he’s comfortable, that’s all we need.”
And now the Mets need Reyes simply to focus on playing third base, because they have no idea how long Wright will be out.
Sources said Wright is looking for an outside opinion on how best to rehab and treat the setback. Team doctors have prescribed a two-week rest period before engaging in a “gentle” throwing program after letting the inflammation die down. Wright has handled his own rehab and treatment with his recent back and neck issues by going outside the organization’s medical staff.
Collins said he was not sure where Wright had gone to get a second opinion. Though the Mets indicated the captain would be back in Florida on Wednesday, Collins said they had no idea when Wright would be back at the complex.
Wright turned to renowned specialist Robert Watkins for the 2015 spinal stenosis and Watkins also performed the June surgery on Wright’s neck. The physical therapists associated with Watkins’ California practice were responsible for his rehab and recovery. In fact, one Mets source said the team had not seen Wright’s rehab progress all winter until he showed up in Port St. Lucie in late January.
Wright missed 115 games in 2015 after suffering what the Mets initially announced was a hamstring strain, but turned out to be spinal stenosis. It’s a serious back condition that has prematurely ended the careers of players like Don Mattingly and forces Wright to go through more than an hour of stretching and warmup to get on the field every day. After working his way back for the 2015 playoff run, Wright and the Mets had projected he would be able to play in 130 games after learning how to deal with the injury, but it was just 38 before he was shut down in 2016 with a neck issue. That turned out to be a herniated disc that required surgery and ended his season in June.
Despite the recent history, the Mets continue to hope this plays out for the best.
“My concern is to hopefully get David Wright back and hopefully get him healthy and get him in the lineup,” Collins said. “If he’s doing what we think he can do, what he’s done in the past, he’s still got to be a big part of this team.”
But now, with Opening Day just under five weeks away, the Mets cannot just hope they have Wright back. They have to prepare to start the season without him. They need to make the wise moves.