Wright may return by the break

The Mets have been reluctant to put a time frame on David Wright’s potential return from his back injury, so general manager Sandy Alderson raised some eyebrows when he said on Monday the third baseman could be back in the Mets lineup around the AllS tar break.

“Realistically, I’m looking at probably the All Star break as a realistic possibility,” Alderson said.

Wright has been sidelined since April 14 because of a hamstring injury that morphed into a back injury. The 32yearold was discovered to have stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column, and is being treated in Los Angeles by a back specialist.

Still, before anyone gets too excited, Alderson was quick to follow up with a note of caution.

“But ... who knows?” said Alderson, who earlier had pointed out: “We really don’t have enough concrete information now to make an accurate prediction. David is anxious to get back. In the meantime, the team’s been playing decently.

“If he’s cleared by the end of the month, then I think[ Wright returning] two, threeweeks into July is realistic,” Alderson said. “Am I predicting that? No, I’m not predicting it. But I do think it’s realistic.”

Certainly, Wright’s availability remains a longway off, even in a bestcase scenario. And at Citi Field, bestcase scenarios are hard to find.

Alderson, who spoke to veterans at Brooklyn VA Hospital in Bay Ridge, also said that Murphy should be back by Saturday, filling in at third base again after being sidelined with a left quadriceps injury.

Murphy is in extended spring training in Port St. Lucie, with Alderson hoping he sees game action in the next couple of days.

“When Daniel comes back, he’ll be at third base with [ Dilson] Herrera at second, [ Wilmer] Flores at short,” Alderson said. “That’s the scenario we had laid out in light of David’s injury, but then Daniel got hurt andwe had to scratch that and go on to Plan C or D.”

Those plans don’t consist of making any acquisitions, for now.

“Even if we’re not visibly making amove doesn’t mean we haven’t assessed our options,” Alderson said. “That’s something we’re doing constantly. Against that backdrop, you have to think about the players you have and the ones coming back.”