David Wright was the designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a single, a walk, and a run scored in his first rehab game with High-A St. Lucie on Monday night.
During the game, Wright also went from first to third on a basehit and later scored on a groundout and looked fine.
Wright called tonight a “good first step,” but said that on Tuesday when he plays third base, “it will be a bigger step.”
“Anytime you haven’t played in a real game in (a) few months, it takes a little while to get your legs under you,” Wright said. “It will be a good test for me tomorrow. I’m going to try to play within myself and not go crazy.”
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Third baseman David Wright is taking a significant step towards his return to the team.
The Mets captain will officially begin a rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie on tonight and will serve as the designated hitter according to GM Sandy Alderson.
“My understanding is that he’s going to DH for five innings starting on Monday, and then he will play five innings in the field the following day. We’ll see where it goes from there.”
Wright, 32, has been battling spinal stenosis and has been out since April 15. But he’s been adamant that he will play again this season, and starting this rehab assignment means the Mets will have to activate him within the next 20 days barring any setbacks.
Manager Terry Collins said how quickly Wright rejoins the team will be entirely up to how his rehab assignment goes.
“There are no numbers set for this guy, none,” Collins said. “He swings good he’ll be back fast. He struggles it will be a little longer.”
“He’s the captain, he’s the face of the team, he’s energy,” Collins continued. “Put him in the lineup and all of a sudden you look at your bench and you got a lot of pieces.”
When Wright was asked about when he thought he could be ready, he told the New York Post, “When I feel dangerous.”
I’m hoping Wright gets his timing down quickly and that he can rejoin the team by next week. Having him back at full strength and batting second in the lineup is going to make the lineup so much stronger and deeper.
