Photo by Jennifer Nieves, MMN

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, sources believe New York Mets captain David Wright is in the driver’s seat regarding if-and-when he’s ready to return to the major leagues

Wright, 35, has been sidelined since May 2016 while recovering from multiple surgeries stemming from a spinal stenosis diagnosis in 2015.

The longtime Mets third-baseman began a rehab assignment on August 12. In ten games with the Advanced-A St. Lucie Mets, Wright went 6-for-32 with a double and two runs batted in.

During his time with St. Lucie, he graduated from playing five innings in the field to seven, to eventually playing a full nine.

In his first game with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Wright went 1-for-4 with a hard-hit single and made what can only be referred to as his trademarked play at third, bare-handing a slow roller and sidearming a throw across his body to first.

Just hours after it was announced on Tuesday that Wright would be moving to Vegas to continue his rehab, Mets assistant general manager John Ricco told Puma, in no uncertain terms, that Wright simply wasn’t ready to return to the majors.

“It’s unrealistic to think he would be activated anytime soon, based on what we have seen to this point,” he said. “But we really have been taking it step-by-step and giving him every opportunity to get back.”

“[…] So we tried to put in place a program that he could come back and show us he’s ready to be a major league player and so far he hasn’t reached that […] in terms of playing time or playing skill.”

In Wednesday evening’s article, Puma’s source states that “[Wright] is driving this train for the most part,” referring to the decision as to whether he’s ready to return, continuing with, “He is coming back.”

On Tuesday, Wright spoke with Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Journal-Review and, while admitting it’s been a struggle, made his intentions quite clear.

“[Returning to the Mets is] a big goal of mine just because of the amount of work that you put in and the amount of time that you put in and the dedication to rehab […],” he said. “You want to enjoy the rewards of all that work, and for me, that reward would be to go up to Citi Field.”

Clearly, everyone is not on the same page regarding David Wright’s immediate future. Unsurprisingly, though, Wright seems as focused as ever on the task at hand.