Mets injury news: Wright could be cleared for baseball activity on Monday

David Wright, who has been on the disabled list for roughly three months, hopes to be cleared on Monday for baseball activity, Terry Collins said while speaking with reporters on Sunday.

According to Collins, Wright is already doing some activity related to baseball (though Collins wouldn’t expand on what exactly Wright is doing). Wright has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles on Monday, and it’s then that he hopes to get the go-ahead to fully resume baseball activity.

Wright has been out since the middle of April — first due to a hamstring strain and then because of spinal stenosis in his back.

The spinal stenosis has resulted in Wright being virtually shut down for the last two months, with doctors refusing to clear him until he shows that he’s pain-free.

The Mets have said all along that doctors have advised them that the spinal stenosis is something Wright will be able to play through once he’s cleared, and Wright has expressed optimism on a few occasions that his return could be close.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York suggested that once Wright is cleared, it might take a month before he’s ready to play in major league games.

Thoughts:

If Wright is cleared on Monday and Rubin’s suggested timetable is accurate, that would mean Wright would return to the Mets in the middle of August.

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As promising as it would be for Wright to be cleared and as much of a help a healthy David Wright would be to the Mets, the club should be operating as if his return is something that’s not guaranteed.

Relying on Wright to come back and be productive would be foolish. He may come back, be pain-free, and produce, but that’s something the team simply can’t afford to count on.

Instead, the Mets should be doing everything they can between now and Wright’s potential return date to upgrade by adding an offensive piece via trade. It would make the most sense for the Mets to trade for an outfielder who could play nearly every day, with both Michael Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson relegated to part-time roles under that scenario.

The Mets could also explore trades for a potential impact shortstop, though there doesn’t appear to be one of those available at the moment.

Barring any additions to the infield, when Wright does return, the Mets will have a decision to make. Daniel Murphy would almost certainly switch back to second base, leaving the Mets to decide whether to move Wilmer Flores back to shortstop while Wright again becomes the starter at third base.