According to a report in today’s Star-Ledger, David Wright discussed how his rehab was going as he looks to avoid surgery on his left shoulder.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Wright said on ESPN Radio. “I’m excited to finish this six week rehab program at the end of the time and go hopefully clear to start my normal offseason routine.”
“The motivation for me is to be healthy first and foremost…And get back to the level I’m accustomed to playing to.”
Wright’s season came to a premature end on September 7th after revealing his shoulder issue had bothered him for months and that it wasn’t getting any better.
A second MRI revealed the damage was much more extensive than anyone initially thought, with stretched out ligaments and an unstable socket and rotator cuff. The plan was for Wright to undergo six weeks of rest and rehab followed by an examination to determine if he can avoid a shoulder procedure to repair the damage.
That Wright is feeling good could be taken as a positive sign that the rehab is working. But the question most fans have is what can they expect from the Mets third baseman over the next six years of his deal which has $110 remaining on it.
I couldn’t even fathom a guess, but I’m hoping that for one he improves on 2014’s career-worst season.
Mark Simon of ESPN New York wrote the following on Wright earlier this week.
Wright turns 32 in December. He’s played in more than 1,500 regular season games. 32-year-olds, whether with an injury history or not, tend to decline in performance. It can be a slow decline or a rapid one, but very few players (especially outside of the PED era) have prolonged success after turning 32.
Players who get injured enough to land on the disabled list one season historically land on the disabled list again the next season about 41 percent of the time. Wright has now dealt with a back issue, a hamstring injury and a shoulder issue the last four seasons. It wouldn’t be surprising if other problems crop up. He’s missed at least 25 games in three of the last four seasons.
With such a large chunk of the payroll concentrated on Wright – and Curtis Granderson too for that matter – any success next season hinges on what these two can produce offensively.
Both players were eventually removed from their opening day roles that had Wright batting third and Granderson cleanup. We’ll need both of them to return to form and play up to those expectations again.
But first thing’s first. We need Wright to get healthy.
