Mets injury news: Wright getting close to rehab games

David Wright has been taking grounders, throwing, and running at Citi Field since Tuesday, and he’ll head to Port St. Lucie next week after the Mets finish their series in Miami, Terry Collins said on Saturday.

Wright will be “eased back” into rehab games, and could make his first game appearance at some point next week, Collins said.

Wright began baseball activities in Los Angeles last week.

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

Thoughts:

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With Wright showing no ill effects from baseball activity and getting close to entering rehab games, he could conceivably return to the Mets in about two weeks if he has no setbacks.

As promising as it would be and as much of a help a healthy David Wright would be to the Mets, it’s something the club can’t back on. That train of thought likely contributed to their decision to trade for Yoenis Cespedes, as well as last week’s trade that imported Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.

Relying on Wright to come back and be productive would be a bit foolish, but it’s certainly been promising that he’s thus operating pain-free since being cleared for baseball activity.

If Wright returns before Michael Cuddyer — on the disabled list due to a knee issue — he’ll likely replace Eric Campbell. If he comes back afterward, the Mets will have an interesting roster decision to make, with Kirk Nieuwenhuis perhaps being the odd man out.