Mets captain David Wright on his Spring Training debut: “Nice first step”

Mets captain David Wright made his Spring Training debut on Saturday versus the Washington Nationals, and is feeling optimistic with how he felt during and after the game.

Although he served as a designated hitter in the Mets’ second Spring Training game, the fact that Wright was even able to take in-game at bats was a big deal, specially when you compare his current timeline to his 2016 camp.

"“It was a good first step,” Wright told MLB.com’s Glenn Sattell. “I didn’t get my first at-bat last year until halfway through spring. So to be able to step right in there with a lot of the regular guys, it was nice.”"

Wright’s first at bat at the newly-renamed First Data Field garnered a lot of love from the Mets faithful. These fans on hand know what Wright has had to deal with to even get back to this spot, and they tried to show it.

After going 0 for 2 in the game, Wright recognized that it’s going to take a little adjustment to get back into the swing of things. The speed of the game is always faster than you expect it to be once you get out there.

"“It’s not hitting off a tee, it’s not hitting off a coach, it’s someone out there getting paid to get you out. It was a challenge, but I got a chance to see some pitches. I’m really happy with the results, which usually isn’t the case early in the spring for me.”"

Wright’s concentration will also be focused on the defensive side of the ball over the coming weeks. While he’s been able to play catch already, his throws have been limited to 60 feet, so he’ll be working on his arm for the next few weeks at least.

"“It’s such the beginning that it’s almost like relearning how to throw. It’s a lot of mechanical stuff. It’s a lot of just drills that I haven’t done since I was a kid, just with mechanics and trying to get my arm in the right slot.Because of some of the effects of the surgery, I think it’s just taken a little longer than expected because of really having to almost reteach your body how to throw. It’s challenging, that’s for certain.”"

It’s really uncertain what the Mets will get out of Wright in general this year. The team is obviously hopeful he’ll be ready for Opening Day since it is still more than a month away. However, the reality of it is that we just won’t know until the days and weeks go by and we can see if Wright can handle the workload that comes with playing third base.

Next: Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki injured in loss to Nationals

The Mets’ brass has thankfully taken the necessary realistic measures in case Wright’s back doesn’t hold up (Jose Reyes would be automatically in line to play third base every day), but with all of this work being put into his return, and all of us cheering him on, it’d be a shame for him to be unable to at least contribute a little bit to a team he loves this much.

This first game was a great step, and a necessary one in his overall comeback attempt. If he can keep the ball rolling, it’ll be a fantastic story, one that would make even the biggest Wright haters smile.