New York Mets captain David Wright told reporters he has a herniated disc in his neck. Whether that’s spinal stenosis related we don’t know.
David Wright was not in the lineup, again, on Memorial Day because he was dealing with neck discomfort.After the game the New York Mets captain told reporters he’s been diagnosed with a herniated disc in his neck. Wright does not know if this means he will have to go on the DL, but will ask specialists tomorrow. Wright has not played since May 27 and it could be some time before he returns.
This injury comes as no surprise to those who understand just how poor Wright’s back issues are.
Mets skipper Terry Collins had this to say, via Danny Knobler of ESPN:
“Yes, I’m concerned about David Wright possibly [going on the disabled list],The condition he’s been playing in and the condition he’s in right now, yeah, I’m concerned about it. I know this guy plays with a lot of discomfort. He always has. When he can’t play, he’s hurt.”
David Wright says his diagnosis is herniated disc in his neck. Not sure if it's related to his spinal stenosis. Will see docs tomorrow #Mets
— David Adler (@_dadler) May 30, 2016
The question now becomes how the Mets will fare without the presence of their captain.
Let’s take a look at some numbers. The Mets are currently 29-21, only a half game behind the Washington Nationals. In the Mets first 50 games (37 Wright has played in), Wright is batting .226, has 7 homers and 14 RBI. Those numbers are not stellar by any means. David has also not been able to make the throws needed from third base.
All in all, this injury should not concern Mets faithful like it would have a few years back.
Of course Wright was spinal stenosis in April of 2015.
Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of of the space in the backbone. Without surgery, Wright will continue to deal with discomfort in his back throughout the rest of his career. Since Wright came off the DL in 2015, he has been a shell of himself posting a .257 batting average in 73 games, not including the postseason.
There is no denying his presence in the clubhouse is as valuable as anyone’s, but this injury in no way hurts what the Mets are doing this season. This hot start is just a continuation from their World Series run last year and starts with their young and talented pitching. Asdrubal Cabrera, Neil Walker and Yoenis Cespedes are some of the names who’ll remain the building blocks to the middle of the order, not Wright.
Once considered the face of baseball, David Wright has become the forgotten superstar piece to this trending Mets baseball team. The Captain could still be valuable for the Mets as a platoon player and pinch hitter, but the days of No. 5 acting as a crucial piece in the Mets lineup are over.
The New York Metropolitans will continue to be fine without him.
