Despite the Mets' place in the standings and the fact that a 2014 return would be the safest course of action, New York Mets third baseman and captain David Wright has vowed to make a return to the team this season.
Wright, 30, has been sidelined with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain since Aug. 3 after he injured it trying to beat out an infield hit in the 10th inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 2.
"This is what I do. I want to play," Wright told ESPN New York Thursday morning. "It's against a lot of -- pretty much everything -- that I believe in just to shut the season down and get ready for next year. You've got 25 guys in that room battling right now, and obviously we're in an uphill battle with some of the injuries and some of the trades and things that have happened. So I want to get back and join my teammates and try to help them finish strong."
The video of Wright's injury can be seen below:
The Mets entered Thursday afternoon's game against their division rival Philadelphia Phillies 20.5 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves in the National League East and 14.5 games out of a wildcard spot, indicating that Wright shouldn't rush back from injury.
Furthermore, the Mets have lost ace pitcher Matt Harvey to a partial UCL tear that may sideline him for the next year if he has to undergo Tommy John surgery, and New York traded its home run leader Marlon Byrd along with John Buck to the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this week.
Despite all of these implications, Wright feels like he owes it to his team to come back, and also feels like he needs to prove to himself he can finish this season healthy.
"Personally, I don't want the next time I take the field to be spring training, with the uncertainty of not being able to finish the season strong and healthy," Wright said per ESPN.
According to multiple reports, Wright's current plan is to leave New York and travel to Port St. Lucie, Fla. to the Mets complex Thursday in hopes to battle back from the injury. Wright said he's "ahead of schedule" in what was deemed as a six-week injury. Wright still has to test the hamstring and see if he can run on it and also has said he's not ready to enter minor league games but is hopeful he will soon.
The Mets would be wise to take the patient approach with Wright as much of their future hinges on their All-Star third baseman, who signed an 8-year $138 million contract extension that would make the team captain a Met for life.
Prior to the injury, Wright was enjoying a great year in Queens while hitting .309 with 16 homers and 54 RBIs in 105 games.
While it'll be interesting to see what course of action the Mets and Wright ultimately take, the third baseman told ESPN he can't do anything until he can run on the hamstring at full speed.
"I'm progressing well. I'm running -- I wouldn't say it's a run. It's probably a quick jog -- maybe 60 percent, 70 percent. I'm swinging the bat fine, I'm fielding, I'm doing all that stuff. It's just a matter of being able to run full speed, running the bases, starting and stopping. That's the most important thing."
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