Vote: What can the Mets expect from David Wright?

BySN Staff ESPN logo
Friday, March 3, 2017

Another year, another David Wright setback.

The New York Mets third baseman was diagnosed with an impingement in his right shoulder and will not throw a baseball for "a couple of weeks," general manager Sandy Alderson said Tuesday.

This is just the latest injury for Wright, who has been limited to 75 regular-season games over the past two years. He was on the disabled list from April 15 to Aug. 24, 2015, because of a strained his right hamstring and spinal stenosis.

Wright, 34, was able to stay healthy through the playoffs that year, but issues arose again soon after the 2016 season started. He was batting .226 with 7 homers, 14 RBIs and 55 strikeouts in 137 at-bats through May 27 last season when he was sidelined by a herniated disk in his neck that required season-ending surgery.

Since Wright hasn't played in more than 100 games since 2014, is it realistic for the Mets to expect him to play in even 81 games this year?

With Wright's injuries in mind, ESPN's David Schoenfield wonders whetherthis is it for the seven-time All-Star. Looking back on his prime, Wright was a perennial MVP candidate, placing as high as fourth in the voting in 2007, when he hit 30 home runs and stole 34 bases.

Schoenfield writes that Wright, like fellow New York baseball star Don Mattingly, was on a "Hall of Fame path" before injuries began to take their toll.

That said, does Wright, who also won two Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers, have a case for Cooperstown?

Regardless of his injuries, Wright is owed $67 million by the Mets over the next four seasons. If he isn't ready for Opening Day, Jose Reyes, who started 50 games at third base in 2016, would likely fill the void.