PORT ST. LUCIE — David Wright remains certain he will be ready for Opening Day, even though that game against the Braves at Citi Field is only 17 days away and the Mets third baseman still is not taking batting practice because of a torn abdominal muscle in his left side.
The face of the franchise must make certain he is taking the right approach with this injury. His friend, Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, suffered a similar injury last spring, tried to play through it and eventually had surgery at the end of April.
Wright, 29, was told it was a freak injury that could have occurred “rolling over in bed.’’
Still, after a back injury last season limited him to 102 games, another injury-riddled season might make the financially-troubled Mets think twice about picking up the $16 million option on his contract for 2013 and keeping him. In some ways, Wright’s situation would mirror Jose Reyes’ situation.
Wright insisted he has not even thought about having surgery, but if there are any setbacks he must take care of the problem quickly — even if surgery sidelines him for an extended period of time. He must get healthy and stay healthy.
Progress has been slow and steady, Wright said yesterday, after taking ground balls in a controlled situation.
“Each day I get better and better and I’m doing more and more,’’ Wright told The Post. “I think I got lucky where I did it so early in camp [so] I had the luxury of waiting and being patient and I haven’t had any setbacks.
“I’m at the point now where I’m feeling good, but I can’t go out there and overextend myself and set me back,’’ explained Wright, who said the cortisone shot he received last week offered immediate relief.
The injury occurred when Wright was fielding a bunt and spun to throw to third base, a simple baseball movement. He said because the injury is on his left side, it does not hamper him as much as it would if it were on the right side.
Like everyone else, Wright wanted answers. How could something like this happen on a simple play? Wright asked the doctors: “Am I overtraining? Am I under-training?’’
“It’s just one of these funny movements, you could do every stretch possible. If you go out there and move a funny way it just happens,’’ Wright said.
Funny things, of course, happen to the Mets, who had another bad spring training game with Mike Pelfrey being shelled in a 9-5 loss to the Astros in Kissimmee, Fla., continuing Pelfrey’s putrid spring.
Wright said he is taking the comeback slowly.
“When you have this, you expect to feel something,’’ he said. “If you slowly get back into it and say, ‘OK, I don’t feel it doing this.’ And then tomorrow, ‘OK, I don’t feel it doing this.’ Then all of a sudden you get more confident out there because the last thing you want to do is get in the batter’s box for the first time and be worried about, ‘Not only is this guy going to throw me a slider, but I really don’t want to take a funny swing because I might feel something.’ I have to be, in my mind, pretty close to 100 percent physically and mentally before I get in a game situation.
“It’s just negative knowing you come to the park every day and not having to play, but I’m glad it happened now and not during the season. It happened the first day of camp.
“It’s a frustrating process. I’ve missed every single bowling night with this injury. You take away the bowling, you take away the golf, I can’t play baseball.’’
He smiled and added: “I’m just enjoying everything Port St. Lucie has to offer.’’
If Wright has another Setback Season, it could mean he might not be back here next spring. He needs to stay healthy to remain the face of the franchise.