SALON

Sunday, Mar 17, 2013 4:30 PM UTC

Wright has no regrets about WBC, injury

By

Topics: From the Wires,

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — David Wright wanted to make it clear that playing in the World Baseball Classic had nothing to do with the rib injury he sustained that could cause him to miss opening day for the Mets.

“No. You can get hurt in spring training, you can get hurt before spring training,” Wright said. “Playing baseball, there are some risks that comes along with that, whether it’s in Port St. Lucie, Arizona or Miami. There’s risk,” Wright said. “The torquing, twisting and turning — I mean, it’s just part of the game and it happens. It’s not because of the tournament.”

Mets manager Terry Collins has expressed concern that Wright will not be ready for opening day. Wright said he is unsure of whether or not he will be able to play on April 1 in the season-opener against San Diego at Citi Field.

“That’s looking to predict the future. I can’t do that and I won’t do that because it’s the first day I’ve been back in camp. I don’t know how I’ll feel tomorrow or how I’ll feel the next day,” Wright said. “One thing I don’t want to do is do something and come back sooner than I should.”

“I think opening day is possible. It’s just how quickly my body responds to these treatments and how quickly I can get pain-free in that rib cage area. It’s a combination of rest and different treatments.”

Wright, who signed an eight-year, $138 million contract in December, strained an intercostal muscle in his rib cage while working out in Arizona for the WBC, but the nagging injury didn’t originally slow him down.

In four WBC games, Wright went 7-for-16 (.438) with a pair of doubles and a grand slam. He drove in 10 runs and led the way as Team USA advanced out of Bracket D in Phoenix to Miami for the second round.

Wright assumed the role of the team’s leader and was dubbed Captain America by his teammates.

In Phoenix, he hit a grand slam to break a 2-2 tie and beat Italy. At Marlins Park in Miami, his three-run double gave his team breathing room in a 7-1 victory over Puerto Rico, but that was his last appearance. He was scratched from the next two games, losses that eliminated the U.S.

The six-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner said the setback wouldn’t prevent him from considering playing in future exhibitions. Last year he started spring training with an abdominal injury, which prevented him from even beginning activities.

That’s not the case now with the rib cage injury, for which he received a cortisone shot during his trip to New York over the weekend, and Wright said it would be much easier to get ready for the season this year than it was last year.

“I’ve had plenty of at-bats, had plenty of games, plenty of nine-inning games the last couple of weeks. I’m not worried about at-bats and game situations,” he said. “I’m more worried about knocking out this (injury) and keeping it knocked out so it doesn’t pop back up.”

Wright added that he didn’t call the Mets right away when the injury arose because he didn’t believe it was something major and that he knows how his body reacts to pain.

“I always play through whatever I can, whether it’s WBC, spring training or regular season. I play through whatever I can tolerate playing through. I could tolerate playing through it and was fine with it,” he said. “Once it reached a point that it prohibited me from coming back and producing with the Mets, that’s when it was time for me to make that decision.”

Johan Santana, Daniel Murphy, Frank Francisco and Kirk Nieuwenhuis have all missed time due to injury for New York, too.

In Saturday’s home game against Miami, the Mets watched Justin Turner, a potential backup for Wright, injure his ankle while fielding a grounder at third base.

“I don’t think we have any more injuries than anybody else. If you look over at other teams, this is the time of year when there are a lot of guys in the training room. It’s not like guys are having setbacks,” Wright said.

“I felt like I was prepared for the tournament. Unfortunately, things like that happen, but it has nothing to do with the tournament itself and everything to do with bad luck.”

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 0 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Check out the full Bank of America whistleblower details (affidavits) "Read former staff describe getting Target gift cards as a prize for foreclosing on people, and other awful schemes"
362 points363 points | 16 comments
vote
The full Bank of America whistleblower details (affidavits)
321 points322 points | 7 comments
vote
Study: Young people are more liberal than they think they are.
66 points67 points | 22 comments
vote
How cash secretly rules surveillance policy: Today's congressional hearing was a joke. The reason: Firms like Booz Allen bankroll and own Congress. Here's how
41 points42 points | 6 comments
vote
The internal war between House Oversight Committee chair Darrell Issa and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings blew up again Tuesday, when Cummings released the full transcript of a five-hour interview with the conservative Republican IRS screening manager.
38 points39 points | 6 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations