David Wright said he doesn’t know when he’s going to be back with the Mets, but he’s confident that when he does return, the stress fracture in his lower back won’t be a lingering issue.
“If they allowed me to do what I want to do, which is play right now, then it would affect me,” Wright said before the rest of the team left for Milwaukee, where they begin a 10-game road trip tonight. “But once it heals properly, it shouldn’t hurt me. I think it will be behind me.”
That’s likely going to be the nagging question until Wright proves otherwise, especially after the Mets learned last week it would be another three weeks until the third baseman can resume baseball activity.
“That’s why they’re saying three more weeks, so that I’m fully-recovered,” said Wright, who doesn’t figure on getting back until July. “Obviously, it could impact you long-term if you come back too soon, and they said it’s something I could I hurt more by playing through it. And then you’re not out weeks, but months or maybe a year — especially if you have to get surgery. They’re being as cautious as they should be.”
Although Wright is confident he won’t be bothered by the injury long-term, he admitted he will have to alter his workout routine, at least mildly.
“Once I get back, I’m going to keep doing the core [exercise] program I’m doing now, even after I’m healthy,” said Wright, who played with the injury until finally being put on the disabled list on May 18.
“The doctors told me there are two different aspects of core muscles: The ones you work on when you do sit-ups that look good at the beach and then there’s an inner-layer that supports your spine and your organs,” said Wright. “Those are the things I’m working on now and will have to continue to strengthen long-term.”
Beyond that, Wright said doesn’t intend to change as a player.
“I’ve always taken pride in going out there all the time and I don’t expect to be any different in the future,” Wright said when asked if he would now be more likely to speak up if something is bothering him physically. “I plan on playing the way I’ve always played and if, God forbid, something happens, it happens. I can’t change the way I play the game because I’m scared of getting hurt.”
Wright said he isn’t overly concerned about having more problems with the back, which he said doctors were fairly certain was the result of the now-infamous play against Houston on April 19, when Wright made an awkward move while attempting to tag Carlos Lee at third base. Wright added doctors didn’t think it was an aggravation of a previous injury or a result of any other form of activity, like weightlifting.
The injury won’t be completely out of his mind anytime soon, but Wright said he is hopeful he won’t have to deal with it again.
“I guess it can be serious if you don’t do the proper things to keep yourself healthy, but I plan on doing those things,” Wright said. “That’s pretty much all I can do.”