PORT ST. LUCIE — David Wright speaks in few absolutes these days, a man who has been humbled by his body in recent years.
The 34-year-old Mets captain stands at a crossroads in his career, after a second significant injury in as many seasons left him sidelined for most of 2016. He still dreams of helping carry the team to a World Series title, but also sounds realistic enough to know he’s at the mercy of his back, neck and any other part of the anatomy that might want to cause discomfort.
So even a question about whether he will be ready for Opening Day on April 3 brings a murky response from Wright.
“For me, it’s about putting in the work necessary for today and this week, and hopefully everything falls into place,” Wright said Tuesday at Tradition Field. “[Opening Day] is obviously the goal, but there’s a few hurdles I have to clear.”
Wright says his neck barked so much last season that it got to the point – just before he was diagnosed with the herniated disk – he had a difficult time turning his neck in the batter’s box to look at the pitcher. The neck pain, he says, started in spring training and got progressively worse.
Among the challenges he faces is throwing a baseball, which Wright hasn’t tried since his surgery. His workouts have consisted of hitting, fielding and running, but the nature of the surgery he underwent has required a gradual strengthening of his shoulder. The first throwing test for Wright could come later this week, according to manager Terry Collins.
But the Mets also aren’t sure what they can expect offensively from Wright, who had a .226/.350/.438 slash line with seven homers and 14 RBIs in 37 games last season. Then came the surgery and six months of rehab before commencing his offseason workouts.
Wright’s throwing became a pronounced issue last season, but Collins said the belief is the herniated disk was responsible.
“He will probably just catch ground balls at third until we know he’s ready physically to throw, but we’ve got to get him some at-bats first,” Collins said. “If we decide he needs to go get some ground balls at first base, that stuff can be done late in spring training. He’s such a good athlete, he will catch onto that stuff easy.”
Wright said he has not been approached about the possibility of playing first base, but would consider the option if the need arises.
“I’m open to doing anything that helps this team win,” Wright said. “It hasn’t been brought up to me, I haven’t been approached about it. Right now, I am a third baseman, and I’m going to practice at third until somebody tells me differently.”
Jose Reyes replaced Wright for most of last season at third base and will be the primary backup at the position. For Wright, it’s a blast from the past – he and Reyes arrived to the major leagues in 2004 and spent eight seasons together as part of the club’s DNA.
“It’s like a brother relationship where we’ve come up together, and what we have experienced together in a Mets uniform, it’s pretty special and to come full circle like this and hopefully get a chance to take the field with him again,” Wright said.
“He’s a special player, special teammate, and it’s no coincidence that when he got into the clubhouse and got comfortable as fast as he did that he provides that spark. His energy is contagious.”
Collins will walk a tightrope of trying not to overextend Wright this spring and getting him more at-bats than usual to help compensate for his limited playing time the past two seasons.
“Last year we probably, because we didn’t play him in the first half of the spring, we kind of pushed it in the second half maybe a little bit too hard,” Collins said. “We learned from that, and so this year we are going to do a better job of paying attention to that kind of stuff.”
Wright is only midway through the eight-year, $138 million contract he signed before the 2013 season and still wants to believe he can contribute.
“This is a fun time to be a Met,” he said. “I want to be part of this winning season that I think we’re going to have.”