The New York Mets surprised everyone yesterday when they announced that third baseman David Wright was set to begin a rehab assignment with High-A St. Lucie. Wright, who has been sidelined for the whole season with a shoulder injury, had been essentially out of sight and out of mind while the Mets floundered to a disappointing season. The rehab assignment, which Wright began by going 0 for 4 while serving as the designated hitter, starts a 30 day clock before Wright has to be activated from the 60 day disabled list. If all goes well Wright could be back in the majors after rosters expand in September, which would at least allow the Mets to see a little bit of what he has left in the tank.
While the team confirmed that Wright has been fielding grounders in Port St. Lucie, there is no timetable yet for him to play in the field. The Mets feel that Wright’s bat is ahead of his glove at this point, so letting him serve as the DH allows Wright to get some at bats to get used to game action again. With rosters set to expand next month, the Mets could theoretically activate Wright and never have to use him in the field, allowing him to serve exclusively as a pinch hitter. This would let the Mets acclimate Wright to the pace of big league action again without putting too much pressure on him to play the field. While this sounds good in theory, and a return from Wright would boost morale in the clubhouse during a lost season, the Mets will need to find out if he can actually still play the field at some point.
The Mets have already hinted that they will be looking for a full time third baseman over the winter, which makes sense since Wright has spinal stenosis and has only played 75 regular season games since the start of 2015. If Wright wants to continue his big league career he will likely need to accept a reduced role and possibly a position change if he wants to fit on the Mets going forward. The throwing issues that popped up this season are not good for Wright if he plans on staying at third base, especially with his throwing arm already considered relatively weak. A move across the diamond could make some sense, particularly with the Mets showing no desire to let young first baseman Dominic Smith face left handed pitching yet. Wright’s best chance at a role with the Mets next season is probably to become a platoon first baseman, playing whenever the Mets face left handed pitching and getting an occasional start against a right hander. This strategy would allow the Mets to give Wright more regular rest and try to keep him healthy in order to try and prolong his career. Wright is still owed nearly $50 million dollars through 2020, so the Mets would like to get some kind of return on that investment going forward.
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