As I speculated before the weekend, David Wright is indeed planning to return during the San Francisco Giants series beginning on Tuesday.
Both Wright and Terry Collins staunchly defended their rationale in attempting to have the third baseman return from a strained right hamstring this season, as reported by Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.
“It’s something that I’m against, personally,” Wright said Saturday regarding shutting things down for the season. “If the organization feels that it’s best for the organization moving forward, then that’s a talk we’re going to have to have, that obviously we haven’t had. But my understanding is that if the doctors and I feel like I’m healthy enough to play, that I’m allowed to play. It’s not right for a player, I think, to just shut it down when I feel like I’m healthy enough to go out there and produce.”
Said Collins: “So the issue is: Is he going to get hurt again? So what do we do next spring? Do we not play him all spring for fear of going into the season and he might get hurt in a spring-training game, that he might have an intercostal strain like he did this spring? Or maybe re-injure the hamstring, a la Jose Reyes at times? This is a sport. This is a sport where people get hurt. You can’t police it. You’ve got to do the best you can to get him in shape and then let him go play. And you know what? We can’t put that plastic wrap around him if we expect them to play the way they’re capable of playing. This guy is a winner. He’s going to play like a winner. Therefore he’s going to go out when the time comes, and if he needs to steal second or he needs to beat out an infield chopper, he’s going to do it, because that’s who he is.:
“Now, do you want him to do it now? Yes. I want him to go play now. And if something happens — you know what? — it’s part of the game.
All systems go…
Original Post
David Wright performed strength and agility drills on the infield prior to last night’s win over the Marlins. Today, he is expected to increase his intensity running the bases today.
“He did more side-to-side stuff on the infield, more of having to come in on a slower-hit all to test the body control stuff,” Terry Collins said. “It looks great. We’re going to advance the effort [Saturday] on the bases.”
He has already hit, fielded and thrown without discomfort, and running full tilt around the bases are considered the final hurdle before he can return to the starting lineup.
Wright has participated in batting practice all this week and told reporters he is on schedule, insisting he will play again this season.
“I think I’ll be back at least for a larger chunk of the remainder of the games. That’s kind of the goal, and I haven’t really even thought about not playing those games. That hasn’t really crossed my mind.”
Looks like he could be activated after the weekend based on what I’m hearing from everyone. It will be great to have his bat back in the lineup.
