I can’t begin to tell you how scared and helpless I felt as I watched David Wright lie still on the ground after being hit in the left temple by a 93-mph Matt Cain fastball. The force of the blow was so powerful that it knocked Wright’s batting helmet clean off his head and sent it veering toward the ground just ahead of Wright’s collapsing body. The ominous sound of the baseball and his helmet making impact was so shockingly loud that it immediately silenced everyone for a moment. A sound like that is never good and it seemed out of place in a ball game. The sight of David Wright lying on the ground at home plate was surreal as well as sobering.

Within seconds he was surrounded by a handful of Mets including medical staffers and Jerry Manuel who looked stunned. After a few minutes of being tended to by Mets trainer Ray Ramirez, Wright was finally able to get up with some assistance and walk off the field on his own. After some testing in the Mets training room, he would head to the hospital for more diagnostic testing, and a CT-scan later revealed that Wright had suffered a concussion. This of course, is good news as the results could have been much worse, but whenever I hear the word concussion, it still makes me cringe. Especially where the Mets are concerned.

The last time the Mets had to deal with a concussion was when Ryan Church suffered a vicious blow to the head while sliding into second base in a game against the Atlanta Braves last season. Church was in the midst of one of his hottest streaks of his career when it happened, but what was more disturbing then the concussion he suffered on that play, would be the way the Mets handled the injury in the days, weeks, and months to follow. It was one misstep after another and Church would never be the same again even after finally returning at seasons end. The Mets received much criticism for the way it was handled and it raised many questions about the competence of the Mets medical and training staff.

I hang on to the hope that much was learned from that experience by the Mets, and they are now much more equipped to handle an injury like a concussion. Although the way I’ve seen them handle Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran this season, it still gives me pause for concern.

In this lost season which began with such high expectations, I pray that the Mets will execute extreme caution and make the number one priority ensuring that David Wright is 100% healthy and that he suffers no lasting effects from this latest Mets injury.

Getting him back on the field as soon as possible is not the way to go. Even if David Wright says he’s good to go, don’t you dare let him set foot on that field. There is nothing to be gained by having him resume the season without first ensuring he is completely out of the danger zone, and that could take weeks.

The lingering effects of a concussion can often surface two weeks later, when it’s least expected. I urge you to make the sane choice and immediately place him on the 15-day disabled list so that he can rest and be under observation for a further two weeks.

Please… I’m begging you…