Beat writer Mar Carig of Newsday is reporting that Mets third baseman David Wright might not appear in Grapefruit Leagues for another two weeks, according to what a source told him.
Wright continues to take it slow this Spring so as not to place any excess strain on his back. The Mets captain has participated in most of the team drills at Port St. Lucie like batting and fielding practice, but has yet to run the bases.
Original Report
Beat writer Adam Rubin of ESPN NY spoke with third baseman David Wright, who is not sure when he will begin playing in Grapefruit League games this spring training.
“For me, it’s more important to get my feet under me baseball-wise rather than the experience in the game. I don’t think I’m quite ready, and I don’t think I’ll get much out of a game now, if I go out there just for the sake of being in a game,” said Wright on Friday.
Both GM Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins had a meeting with Wright last week in which they discussed a plan of how they’ll ease the Mets captain into games slowly during the Spring and what the strategy will be during the regular season.
“It went great because he’s David Wright,” Collins told reporters.“It was all about the scheduling. It was all about what needed to take place before he’s in games. And David obviously was on board with it.”
Wright, now 33, has said he’s committed to being more forthright with the team regarding his back and any other aches and pains this season.
“As much as I’ve tried to be in the lineup as much as possible, I think that I understand it’s probably best for me and best for the team where I get some rest because of the condition of my back.”
Understanding that the plan is to take things slow this Spring, Wright still doesn’t know when he’ll appear in a game yet.
“Today we did some running that I haven’t done before. I’ll come in tomorrow and see how I feel. If I feel good, I’ll progress from that.”
