David Wright Considering Neck Surgery

Mets third baseman David Wright is weighing the options with his injured neck and a surgical option is on the table, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo was among those to report. Replacement of a herniated disk would likely come with at least a three-month recovery timeline, quite possibly ending Wright’s season.

The tough-luck star was already battling through a chronic back condition when the neck problem arose. While the team has suggested that the two issues are unrelated, it’s obviously especially difficult for Wright to deal with yet another injury.

It’s not yet clear that surgery will be chosen. But last we heard, surgery wasn’t a near-term consideration. Wright was instead slated to rest for six to eight weeks before trying to ramp things back up. It appears that the possibility of a procedure is at least on the rise at this pont.

GM Sandy Alderson didn’t sound a particularly promising tone. “I always prefer certainty over uncertainty, so having some resolution will be helpful,” he said. “False hope is never useful, or not often useful. We like to be pragmatic.”

Alderson suggested that New York is beginning to look at fill-in options while relying on Wilmer Flores in the interim. He appeared at least to be open to the possibility of Cuban star Yulieski Gurriel, who was recently declared a free agent, though that would likely require a fairly significant outlay since there’ll be competition.

“I don’t feel that there’s any immediate timeline for necessity to know one way or the other, in part because the availability of replacements is so limited-to-nonexistent at this point,” Alderson said. “This is not the time of year when full-time third basemen, other than [Gurriel], are typically available. So we march on.”

Speaking more generally about the club’s plans earlier today, Alderson largely demurred when asked about Gurriel, as ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin was among those to report. He did note that the organization isn’t quite as flush with prospect talent now as it was this time last year, raising questions about what the team could accomplish via trade. “There’s no question, though, our farm system is not quite as healthy today as it was then in part because of all the trades we made,” said Alderson. “So to the extent that we’re active, it may hurt us a little more this year than it did last year.”

It appears that the organization will wait to decide upon a future course until Wright has decided whether or not to undergo surgery. DiComo writes that the veteran will make the call this week.

It’s important to note that Wright is playing on a $20MM salary this year and is under contract for another $67MM through 2020. A good piece of those obligations could be covered by insurance, though, potentially creating some flexibility if it becomes clear that Wright won’t be able to return in 2016.