The New York Mets’ hopes of repeating as NL Champions took a significant hit on Thursday as third baseman David Wright will undergo surgery for a herniated disc in his neck.
The surgery is likely to keep Wright out for the remainder of the season.
“After trying every way to get back on the field, I’ve come to realize that it’s best for me, my teammates and the organization to proceed with surgery at this time,” Wright said in a statement, via Mike Puma of the New York Post. “My neck simply did not respond to any of the treatments of the past few weeks.
“While incredibly frustrating and disappointing I am determined to make a full recovery and get back on the field as soon as I can to help the Mets win. I greatly appreciate the support of my teammates and our fans throughout the last few weeks.”
Wright was struggling mightily before his neck problem flared up, hitting just .226. The original prognosis was 4 to 6 weeks of rest, but he hasn’t gotten any better, and he recently started to see the writing on the wall. He’ll turn 34 in December and the Mets will still owe him $67 million over the last four years of his deal, so they’ll be hoping he comes back and contributes in 2017. Expect Wilmer Flores to be the short-term fix at the position, and perhaps the Mets will search for an upgrade before the trade deadline.
