The Mets announced this afternoon that they’ll activate third baseman David Wright from the 60-day disabled list for the final homestand of the 2018 season. Wright will come off the disabled list on Sept. 25, though he won’t return to a regular role.
Wright is currently slated to start at third base for the Mets on Saturday, Sept. 29, and it sounds as though that start could mark the final game of a brilliant career that was unfortunately cut short by significant injuries. Wright said that he cannot foresee a way to continue playing baseball in the future, given his current condition, calling the very process of playing baseball “debilitating” (Twitter links via SNY’s Andy Martino).
Mets players and coaches are on hand today for the press conference announcing the news, and Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets that Wright was quickly overcome by the emotion of the moment, telling his teammates: “It’s truly been an honor to take the field with you, and serve as your captain. To the fans, words can’t address my gratitude.”
That Sept. 29 start will mark the culmination of a rehab process for Wright that has spanned more than two years. He last took the field in early June of 2016 and has since been diagnosed with spinal stenosis in addition to undergoing both neck and shoulder surgeries. Through it all, “Captain America” steadfastly endured a grueling rehab effort as he endeavored toward his goal of a return to the Major Leagues.
While Wright, now 35 years old, won’t be coming back to the same Mets team that was defending an NL pennant the last time — far from it — he’ll be returning to the roster as one of the most celebrated players in Mets history. The 38th overall pick in the 2001 draft, Wright reached the Majors as a 21-year-old in 2004 and never looked back. He hit .293/.332/.525 through 69 games as a rookie, and not once in his career did he deliver below-average offensive production, by measure of OPS+.
Wright spent 13 seasons in the heart of the Mets’ lineup, reaching seven All-Star teams, winning two Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards along the way. He garnered MVP votes in six of those 13 seasons, finishing as high as fourth in the voting back in 2007. In 6869 plate appearances, all coming with the Mets, he posted a superlative .296/.376/.491 batting line with 242 home runs and 196 stolen bases. With a blend of power, speed and quality defense at the hot corner, Wright was a true five-tool player during a peak that was all too brief.
Wright also had the honor of representing his country in both the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics, collecting a memorable walk-off hit to push the U.S. into semi-final play in 2009 and launched a grand slam in 2013 as part of a huge tournament performance that earned him the aforementioned “Captain America” moniker.
To be clear, it does not sound as though Wright will formally announce his retirement. Newsday’s Tim Healey tweets that Wright, notably, did not use that word when describing his future, though he’s also been informed by doctors that his condition simply will not improve. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that, indeed, Wright will not formally retire but will not return as a player during his contract. Wright is still signed through the 2020 season under the eight-year, $138MM extension he inked in Dec. 2012. He’s slated to earn $15MM in 2019 and $12MM in 2020 on that front-loaded deal, and if he’s declared medically unfit to play — as will be the case — he’ll continue to be paid out those sums.
The insurance policy the Mets took out on that contract reportedly covers 75 percent of that salary for any time spent on the 60-day DL, so the Mets will only owe him a total of $6.75MM between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, barring a buyout agreement with the insurance company. The situation is reminiscent of that of Prince Fielder, whose career was similarly cut short by neck injuries that rendered him unable to continue playing.
Regardless of the financial details, Wright will go down as one of the best players in franchise history and will be remembered as one of the most respected players in the game during his time as a Major Leaguer. Mets COO Jeff Wilpon says that there will indeed be a discussion about the retirement of Wright’s No. 5 (Twitter link via the New York Post’s Mike Puma), though there’s no specific timetable just yet as to when that honor would be bestowed upon venerable team captain. For now, the focus will be on Wright’s last hurrah with the only team he’s ever known — on the emotional farewell that Wright will bid to the fans he’s cherished and the game to which he’s dedicated life.
Sad
Who is this guy?
You’re either a troll, new to baseball or stupid.
I am a Phillies’ fan and even I have a very hard time disliking David Wright. One of the good players and nice people. Strauss is definitely a troll
may be a Braves fan, and I really despise the Mets. But it’s sad to see that his career has to end this way.. great ball player, always crushed us. I wish him him the best of luck in his future endeavors
On the contrary, I am glad his career ended this way. So many guys don’t get to make it back after major injury problems. He at least gets to go out having made it back with no regrets.
Made it back? It’s a charity move for one of the greatest players they’ve had. This isn’t something he’s earned. I love David. But call this move what it is. He should have no regrets because he gave it all he could and it just didn’t work out. But this move is a respect move and not an earned move. This isn’t a good way to end a career. A good way is to work back and be productive. I applaud the Mets for this move. Give him the respect to let him play one last game. Now he’ll be the highest paid instructor or executive in their office
Edited out. I didn’t see the part about him not officially retiring.
He can’t “retire”. It would cancel the remainder if his contract.
Knowing his desire to win he is more qualified to run the Mets than anyone in the management team. He is too
smart to take a position with Mutt and Jeff as owners because he has seen first hand what fools they are.
This includes his retirement chapter these past days when “someone” leaked parts of the story to the press. This is another inexcusable example of the stupidity of Abbott and Costello.
Sucks to see how much health took away his career. When healthy he was a top 3B in baseball. Glad to see he gets one last hurrah with the Mets
One of the most fun guys to watch in baseball at one point in time and a true class act as well. You will be missed David Wright.
Wow. Class act guy while playing and really. if he forgoes the last nearly 30m he’s owed and just retires instead of dragging it out, like Wayne Garland did nearly 40y ago, another pitcher, whose name I can’t recall for a AL central team.. Maybe Twins or Indians again? cpl decades back also. Those types of people are oh so few and far between.
Like to see the Mets stick his number up next season.
He’s not forgoing the money, he’ll still collect. Just like Price Fielder did. Mets will collect insurance.
Edit- I should amend to say I don’t have inside info and so I guess maybe David Wright comes out and says he feels wrong to take the money, but I doubt he would do that. Hell, he shouldn’t.
Maybe you should comment at all? Ever think of that before typing??
Maybe you should check your spelling before telling somebody they should think before they post. Glass houses and all.
Ouch!
Does it matter at all that the amended article now confirms everything I originally wrote?
Jordan with the BERRRRRRRRN
Edit- misspelled on purposs
I would just ignore 3rd Strike; all he ever does is make rude comments about others’ posts. I have yet to see him make a constructive contribution to a thread.
@johnsilver I think it was Gil Meche with the Mariners.
Also Kenji Jojima
Thanks for the name of Meche.. couldn’t come up with it and was thinking about it (who it was) off and on for several hours.. Shoulder trouble believe he had.
Gil Meche w/ KC
So if you get hurt doing your job you should just give your employers a break?
Right? Like your employer doesn’t pay for workman’s comp for the sole reason of employee work related injuries. People forget he was doing his job. All they see is dollar signs “going to waste” and want a player to pay it back do the team can sign someone else. Some people should just shut up and appreciate the fact that he destroyed his body while fans were being entertained.
While I agree with the sentiment, he didn’t get hurt from his job, so it’s not really anything like workman’s comp. He has spinal stenosis. This would be more akin to getting cancer and going on disability than workman’s comp. But the guaranteed contract makes it a moot point anyway.
My favorite player. Even cut short arguably the best position player in Mets history.
The real shame is that the decision by Mets ownership to give him the big contract at a time the franchise was rebuilding, rather than trading him for prospects, goes down as one of the franchises biggest mistakes.
Hey jake. It’s a perfect metaphor as the Mets are one of MLB’s mistake franchises.
Nothing but class from you on NYC’s classiest home grown player.
I made an account just to comment on this. As a lifelong Braves fan and an overall Mets hater I have always respected Wright, much the same as I respected Jeter as a non Yankees fan. And his attempt and hopeful success in making even a one game come back says a lot about him and I’ll definitely be tuning in for this game.
Mets fans feel the same about Larry “Chipper” Jones on the field (not off).
Philly guy here but Man he was a great player, sad to see this happen to him
Class act who was betrayed by his own body. He can walk away with his head held high.
I don’t think he can hold his head up very high because of the neck injuries. Sorry couldn’t resist. He was a hell of a player when healthy.
Hilarious! Other people’s misfortune is funny! You are SO clever! *eye roll*
Sad to see one of the true good guys of baseball career go out like this, but wishing him the best of luck in whatever he does next.
Wow, this is crazy. I don’t live in New York, but will be there the week he comes back and happen to have bought tickets to the Mets game the day he returns!
Sell them for 10x what you paid.
Really good player.
Diehard Braves fan here, but dwright will always be respected in my book not only because of what he did against my Braves over the years but mainly because of the WBC’s he partook in.. Good luck in your next endeavor Capt America!
If he has a couple of good games in the final home stand i would hope he comes back the next year to give it a shot. Unfortunate what injuries can do to a player e.g Ryan Howard, Adam Wainwright, Prince Fielder etc.
@Begamin
He said he’s not coming back after this final week. Says it’s grueling and debilitating to play and his doctors have told him it won’t get better.
He’s made heroic effort for years trying to return, has had neck, shoulder and back surgery since he last played in the majors almost two and a half years ago, but he fact is, he can no longer perform at a major league level. He’s getting one last chance on September 29, to go out on his terms in a game that doesn’t have playoff implications for either team.
Right, I should have said “If his health holds up” in my original comment. I understand him not playing for health reasons.
Think I have to start a new MLB The SHow game so I can play with Wright one last time. He is going to be missed.
Their last series is against the Marlins who aren’t playing for anything either, so let’s hope the pitchers do the right thing and serve him nothing but meatballs.
As a very competitive guy, I don’t think David would agree that’s the right thing. I can’t see him wanting special treatment.
Given it’s the Marlins, they’ll probably throw at him.
I bet they could put it on a tee and he won’t hit it
This sucks. Wright was at one time one of the best players in the league and it’s sad to see such an amazing talent like him go to waste because of injuries.
I’m certainly not the only one to say or think it, but for me, Wright was to the Mets as Jeter was to the Yankees. I, too, am a Braves fan, but if you’re a fan at all, it seems impossible to not respect the guy and admire him for giving it everything he’s got.
Hope he goes out with a big day. It’s always sad to lose a quality player, and even sadder when there’s so much “could have been” surrounding that player.
Class act all the way. Hopefully the opposition serves up some nice meatballs for him to hit out.
Maybe Pedroia will do the same.
Class act Mets front office (for a change). Just hope this isn’t a replay of Willie Mays last at bats with the Mets where he fell down striking out.
I think best thing for all would be have him play 2/3 of an inning in the field, then pull him so he gets standing ovation. Really no point having him hit, makes a weird situation all around for the pitcher- do they pitch him for real and potentially end his career on a strikeout, or do they just groove one (which Wright himself would probably hate).
This makes perfect sense!
Post of the day.
What makes sense is for the Mets to
Handle it like their final game at Shea. I won’t spoil the story and tell it to you now, however remember when it falls apart that I told you so.
Nah, it would be even more disrespectful to him not to let him bat at all.
Besides, the All-Star Game is one thing, but no MLB pitcher is just going to purposely groove one in an actual competitive MLB game even though they’re playing the Marlins.
looks more like a wilpon attendance day then a
attempt at a class act by this front office
and just how are they gonna do this?
can wright hit mlb pitching ?
or throw across the diamond?
or will it be ceremonial?
They should just make WRIGHT THE GENERAL MANAGER
and then he can FIRE THE LOT OF THEM THE NEXT DAY!!!!!!
SHAKE THEM UP DAVID 9/29/18 !!!!!!
He robbed Chipper with that second gold glove
Chipper had better defensive numbers than wriight yet the new yorkers gave the gg to wright.
Mets hall of fame d finitely but Cooperstown, would be interesting. Fred mcgriff had better numbers and longevity but no HOF.
Absolutely Mets HOF since Ed Kranepool is in there.
I think he should be a HOF’er
He was on pace had he remained healthy. 3,000 hits, 400 homers, 1,500 RBI, 250 steals, excellent triple slash.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the longevity for the Hall unless voters make an exception based on his impressive body of work when healthy, and who he is as person. You’ve put that idea in my head.
Nope; 1780 hits less than 300 homers – injuries happen. There’s more players who aren’t in the Hall than are in and mostly it’s because of injury. Think Prior/Wood et. al. The Hall should be reserved for the best and longest careers – I don’t want to see it turn into the NFL or NBA HoF
I agree to a degree, but the MLB HOF just became a joke when Jack Morris got inducted. That opened the floodgates for so, so many guys.
Koufax?
The HOF is clearly trending away from being about the best players of all time, towards being about the best players of each era. That’s fine, but with every marginal add, it opens up cases for so many bygone players who were very good.
Kind of like mattingly. Wright was trending but injuries make it a no
It’s more like the Hall of Really Good…you could probably throw 1/2 the players out that are in there…
Koufax is obviously one of the worst HoF players ever inducted but look up Dizzy Dean sometime. That guy isn’t even qualified for the Hall.
Koufax peak was ridiculously elite. Have no issues with him in hall. Dean is closer but you could likely find 20 less deserving pitchers.
Rather go with elite clearly one of top arms in league then the guys who’s greatest accomplishment was healthy long career to rack up counting stats or worse lots of friends in veterans committee
Think Donnie Baseball
Hof was a joke when they induced Bert blyleven and don Sutton and Craig biggio
Jack Morris is a easy hall of famer. Alan trammel is not
This is a joke, right? Biggio had 3000 hits and Sutton won 324 games and Blyleven won 287 games and collected tons of strikeouts. Morris is a bad Hall of Famer. He lowers the standards of the hall Trammell would not.
As nice as that would be, it’s not likely. Mattingly isn’t a HOFer so why should Wright be in there too?
Agree with this. Case could be made for Wright defense at 3b more valuable but he also played in a more offensive era as well. Really the two are similar. I think Wright’s peak a little longer though
Yeah, Scott Rolen should be in the Hall before Wright has a shot at it, not that Rolen deserves it either after his many second half career injuries.
David Wright is class act from beginning to end. Great player, great teammate, great adopted New Yorker, tireless worker for charitable causes, a man of great decency and integrity who was heading to Cooperstown had he remained healthy and productive the way he was till his health really failed him.
And thumbs up to the posters here who aren’t Mets fans but have posted such nice things in appreciation of all David was as a player and is, as a man and human being.
As a Phillies fan I have always had a hatred for the Mets. But I’ve always loved David Wright. Class act and so hard to hate. I do wish him the best.
Anyone see him as a potential HOF? Or have injuries destroyed any chance of that
Pretty sad, but I have to respect the Mets for giving him one last chance to hold his hat up to the crowd. Thanks for a great career David!
Wow! I’m shocked! The Mets are going to the playoffs next year. He’s the reason they’ve been losing, he carries that big losing aura, that’s why every time he came back they started losing.
I feel like you are on one of the worst possible hills to be dying on
There’s Wright’s aura of losing, and then there’s your aura of douchebaggery.
LOL
Hey Piro-your irrational behavior makes me think that you have a close relative was a reality tv judge that is now on Fox News consultant.
Too bad if she is your mommy as that would make your daddy a felon.
Is this supposed to offend me or is this a joke?
He’s not very good at offending or making jokes, so just ignore his attempts.
It would be amazing if Pujols came to the same conclusion.
Pujols is still healthy enough to play, and he did manage to generate positive bRef WAR this season.
It sounds like his decision is made (or has been made for him by his body), but boy would I love him to announce in January that he’s feeling great & wants to give it another go. For now, I’ll just say thanks David!
Nice player couldn’t stay healthy. New York so completely overrated. Let’s name a bridge after him and move on. Had he played in any other market it wouldn’t of been reported.
As a huge David Wright fan, I dreaded that this day would come way too soon. I followed his career from the minors to his first full year in NY and through to the WS in 2015. He is truly a class act and was one of the NL’s best during his prime years. I wish him and his family all of the best and hopefully he will join the Mets in a management position in the near future. I’m gonna miss you #5!! 🙁
how are they gonna do this?
can wright hit mlb pitching ?
or throw across the diamond?
or will it be ceremonial?
looking like one last wilpon attendance day
They should just make WRIGHT THE GENERAL MANAGER
and then he can FIRE THE LOT OF THEM THE NEXT DAY!
As a braves fan, this one gets to me. Much respect for wright. It was fun while it lasted.
As an A’s fan I’m reminded of Eric Chavez. And how I thought we should have kept Tejada instead. But then I remember there were a lot of guys we should have kept. Seeing as we have traded away an entire all star team through the years. So for David Wright I say happy trails. There are worse fates in the world.
He had a great career… injury’s happen. As do illnesses and maladies that happen to everyday people. Good luck to him in his future. Hard to say he was the best third baseman of his era.. given the guy playing third across town. But a solid player..don’t fret about the money.. just look back on the memories.
Offhand, I’d say he’s 4th behind A-Rod, Chipper Jones, and Scott Rolen.
God speed Mr. Met. After 3 WS rings, 2 NL MVPs, 8 silver sluggers & 7 gold gloves, your retirement is well earned. Goodnight sweet prince.
What World Series rings? The Mets haven’t won the World Series since Wright was 3 years old.
Why are you denying him his just due. They won in 10,12 & 14 bro. Guy is a stud.
Um.. The Giants won in 10, 12 & 14. David Wright has been on the Mets his entire career.
If Wright were truly grateful to the Mets, he’d just officially retire and save the Mets (and the insurance company) the remaining money on his contract. Continuing to collect his paychecks while knowing full well that he’ll never again do anything to earn them just makes him look greedy.
Hey lani-you’ve got big opinions based upon small logic. Learn something about contract law and understand that had he stayed healthy the Mets would have been lucky.
Nobody held a gun to Wilpon’s head.
You are greedy with your cheesy assessments. Too bad that you are such a loyal Mets fan.
Glad to see David Wright and the NY Mets come to this conclusion. Wright has only played 75 games since 2015. 0 games since 2017. It’s time for both parties to move on.
He needs to just retire. Mets should buy him out. S ou theyd be off the hook for the next 2 years left on his deal.
Theyve been paying him for 3 years for doing nothing
Clickbait?