Mets 3B David Wright believes he will return this season
New York Mets third baseman David Wright spoke to reporters on Tuesday about his spinal stenosis condition and rehab efforts to get back on the field.
Wright was shut down indefinitely by the Mets on May 23 after he was diagnosed with the condition. He's been on the disabled list since April 15, when a hamstring injury sidelined him.
On Tuesday, Wright told reporters that he believes he will return to the field this season. He is not sure when it will be, but said doctors have told him it will be “sooner than later,” according to ESPN.
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal column. It is the same injury that forced former Mets and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra to retire.
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Wright said he has been undergoing physical therapy seven days a week and has been meeting with a back specialist on Mondays.
“Really what brings on the achiness and the discomfort and the tightness is in an upright position,” Wright said. “And that's just classic symptoms for the condition that I have. So it's a matter of trying to be symptom-free.”
Wright said doctors have warned against him having surgery because of his age of 32.
“The biggest thing that the doctor continues to reiterate with me is you want to avoid surgery at all costs,” he said. “And if that means being a little more conservative, then that means being a little more conservative, because we're not just talking about playing baseball. We're talking about walking and standing and being pain-free.”
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Wright has only played eight games this season, picking up 11 hits in 33 at-bats.
- Molly Geary
