New York Mets captain David Wright will take a big step towards returning on Sunday, as he plays third base in a rehab game.
The New York Mets have suffered through another injury-riddled season, but fans received some good news about one injured player.
The team announced on Twitter that David Wright will play five innings at third base for St. Lucie on Sunday.
#DavidWright is scheduled to play five innings at third base tomorrow for the @stluciemets at Clearwater. #Mets pic.twitter.com/0iTFIfebBC
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 11, 2018
Wright, who was seen taking swings at the end of June, has not played in an MLB game since May 27, 2016. He has a career slash line of .296/.376/.491 with 242 homers, 970 RBIs and 196 stolen bases.
He has missed significant time with back, neck, and shoulder problems, which have contributed to him playing a total of 75 games since the start of the 2015 season.
He acknowledged during the spring that he was unsure that he would return to the majors, but he still wanted to take another shot at it. The team signed Todd Frazier in the offseason as they didn’t expect Wright to provide anything on the field this season.
In 2016, Wright slashed .226/.350/.438 as he tried to battle and remain on the field, something he was ultimately unable to accomplish. He played three rehab games with St. Lucie last season, going 1-for-10 before being forced to shut it down.
There is obviously no guarantee that Wright will be able to get through a full rehab assignment and rejoin the Mets. Yankees legend Don Mattingly was famously forced to end his career due to spinal stenosis, a condition Wright has been diagnosed with.
However, Wright has meant so much to the Mets franchise that the team would like him to be able to suit up again, even if it’s only for a month at the end of a lost season. Seeing Wright get on the field one last time would be a bright spot in a season of darkness for Mets fans.
