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Mets captain David Wright will be activated from the disabled list on September 25 for the Mets final this season, but he thinks it's not possible to return to baseball after this season.
Wright will take the Mets' third goal on September 29 against the Marlins, likely his last career game.
Wright, fighting tears, thanked a litany of people for the time spent with the Mets, including family, friends, teammates and other members of the organization. He has not said anything about his plans beyond this season.
The announcement marks the heyday of a few turbulent years that often seemed to have to end in retirement, despite his efforts in return. In 2015, he was diagnosed with stenosis of the spine – a narrowing of the spine spaces, which squeezes the nerves – and this condition has resulted in a series of other problems that continue to jeopardize his career.
Although he rigorously tried to prepare his body for the games – Wright would put up to five hours to get in shape before taking the field – he finally succeeded on the disabled list in 2016, thanks to a hernial disc and cervical operation. He underwent two more surgeries in 2017, on his rotator cuff, in September, and then on his back in October. During this second surgery, the doctors realized how much the spinal stenosis had ravaged his body. they discovered a herniated disc, bone spurs and a bad ligament.
Wright reported early for spring training this year and seemed hopeful to play again, but it was realistic to think that this decision might not be his.
"When everything is said and done, I want me to say that I did everything I could," he then said. "If it works, that's obviously the goal. If it does not work, I'll rest knowing that I gave it my best shot.
But the chances of his return seemed to diminish when he experienced another setback in March. He finally resumed his baseball activities in early August and began his re-education work in mid-December. But even last week, one of the three interim general managers – John Ricco – said Wright was not playing at the level hoped for by the Mets. "It is becoming more difficult to predict a situation in which he could return to this level," Ricco said Friday.
But Wright has completed two simulated games since, and is apparently no worse for wear.
"My short-term goal is to return to the field," Wright said on Tuesday. "And I think that's within reach."
With Laura Albanese
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