PITTSBURGH — David Wright was finally forced to yell “uncle.”
After playing through left shoulder discomfort for the last two weeks, the Mets third baseman was yanked from Friday’s lineup against the Pirates and will travel to New York on Saturday for an MRI exam.
Wright revealed he jammed the shoulder on a muddy track at Citi Field while diving into second on a stolen-base attempt earlier this month. Wright was unsure of the date, but June 12 against the Brewers aligns with his description of events.
The discomfort peaked on Thursday, forcing Wright to reevaluate his situation.
“It was just something I could play through and still be productive out there, which wasn’t an issue,” Wright said before the Mets faced the Pirates at PNC Park. “And then [Thursday] on a couple of different occasions I did something to aggravate it and it got worse.
“I was hoping to be able to push through it and [the Mets] obviously shut that down, so now it’s just protocol like normal to head back for the MRI.”
Eric Campbell, the team’s only spare infielder, replaced Wright at third base in the starting lineup. But manager Terry Collins also had Eric Young Jr. available to play second base if necessary. Daniel Murphy would serve as the backup third baseman, and Campbell could move to shortstop if needed.
Wright, with a 10-game hitting streak, has been among the Mets’ most productive players lately. After a brutal slump to begin the month, he is 15-for-39 (.385) with two homers and seven RBIs over his last 10 games.
“It hasn’t gotten worse until [Thursday],” Wright said. “[Thursday] it was at a different level as far as me not feeling I’m able to do what I’m supposed to do on a baseball field. The issue is these last three weeks or so I feel I’ve been able to be productive and go through normal baseball things without feeling hesitant. [Thursday] night, that wasn’t the case. I felt like it was prohibiting me from doing certain things on a baseball field.”
Wright said he aggravated the shoulder chasing Ike Davis in a rundown play, and then later in Thursday’s game going into the hole on a Pedro Alvarez grounder.
Wright said he was hoping a cortisone shot or perhaps anti-inflammatory medication would allow him to return without missing significant playing time.
If Wright is placed on the disabled list, the team likely would recall Wilmer Flores from Triple-A Las Vegas.
Wright’s threshold for pain has never been in question; In 2011, he played for six weeks with a stress fracture in his lower back. Last year he attempted to play through a hamstring injury that ultimately cost him most of the final two months.
“I think I’m getting better, especially going through the hamstring thing last year, at knowing what I can play through and what I can’t,” Wright said. “This was kind of taken out of my hands when I came in. They started going through the normal things, trying to get me warmed up for the game, and some things were hurting more than usual.”