Wright out at least 2 months in latest setback
PORT ST. LUCIE — David Wright’s already slim chances of resuming his baseball career have been sliced even thinner.
The Mets captain won’t begin baseball activities for at least eight weeks, the team announced Tuesday in an injury report. Wright, who is recovering from multiple surgeries, was reexamined by Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles this week, as his shoulder and lower-back issues persist.
“Seeing the work he puts in every day, trying to get on the field, you see the news and this is bad, because he wants to continue,” Jose Reyes said. “I wish him all the best because we want to see him in the future. We don’t want to see him going through what he is going through the last few years.”
Wright, who last appeared in a regular-season game in May 2016, hasn’t participated in baseball activities since September, when he was shut down from a rehab assignment because of shoulder discomfort. He subsequently underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.
The following month Wright underwent surgery on his lower back, designed to alleviate some of the symptoms of his spinal stenosis.
Last month Wright, 35, said he was continuing his comeback pursuit because he doesn’t want to have any regrets once his career concludes.
Wright underwent surgery for a herniated disk in his neck in June 2016 and attempted a comeback in spring training last year, when he appeared in one Grapefruit League game as the designated hitter.
Wright’s troubles began early in the 2015 season, when he was diag- nosed with spinal stenosis and missed nearly four months before returning for the team’s NL pennant push.
Though Wright still has three years and $47 million remaining on his contract, the Mets have an insurance policy that covers 75 percent of the total.
“It’s a tough road,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “It’s been a long time for him and he wants to be out there so bad, for the team and for the Mets and for the fans and it’s tough. I think we all feel for him.”