New York Mets: David Wright to Make One Last Appearance

The New York Mets announced that David Wright will start in their final games of 2018. Wright will likely retire at the end of the season.

Thursday afternoon, the New York Mets announced that their ailing third baseman, David Wright, will return to the Citi Field diamond for one last homestand. The Mets’ Captain will start at third base on September 29 for the first time since May 27, 2016.

The narrative surrounding Wright and his injury history has been well reported as the righty has tried to work his way back from multiple back, neck and shoulder surgeries. In an emotional press conference, Wright announced that he can’t see his playing career continuing past 2018.

Via Metsblog.com, “The way I feel right now and from everything that the doctors have told me, there’s not gonna be any improvement,” Wright said. “I don’t see that as a possibility.”

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The former star was also emotional when he discussed his friendships and what he will miss about the game. He was very sincere as he addressed the media as a true Captain.

“I think I’m hopefully out of tears for this one, but I spoke to the guys a couple of minutes ago,” Wright said (via Metsblog.com). “To my teammates, coaches and staff, it’s certainly been the honor of a lifetime to take the field with you and serve as your captain.”

David Wright has worn some variation of a Mets uniform for over 17 years, nearly half his life. His presence and leadership will be missed in the Mets clubhouse by the fans, media, and players.

A healthy Wright was a joy to watch as he was dominant on the field and classy in front of the camera. David Wright was always a consistent presence for the club, always saying and doing the right thing at the right time.

Over his 13 seasons with the Mets, Wright produced 242 home runs, 390 doubles, 970 RBIs and 949 runs scored. He is a seven-time All-Star as well.

Among Mets’ all-time records, Wright is the team’s leader in hits (1,777), doubles, total bases, RBIs and runs scored. Wright only trails Darryl Strawberry (252) by ten home runs for the Mets’ all-time home run record.

While this isn’t the way that Mets’ fans wanted to see their Captain finish his career, this announcement comes with a certain sense of relief. Wright gave everything for the Mets organization. In a way, he truly is Mr. Met.

The righty continued rehabbing even as the surgeries began to pile up. He worked for two-plus years as he tried to make his way back to the Citi Field diamond. Even though it is only for a few games, Wright’s hard work will finally pay off in the club’s final three games of 2018.

David Wright never quit on his team, in the end, his body is what is forcing him to hang up his cleats.

Even though this final series will be sad, I am glad that the baseball world will get to see Wright play one last time. The Flushing Faithful will give their Captain the goodbye that he deserves.

Hopefully, this won’t be a permanent goodbye. As Wright said in his press conference, he bleeds orange and blue. Could he be a future manager? Time will tell, but for now, he should enjoy these final days of 2018 and then go home to his family.

As a fan myself, all I can say is thank you, David. I will be in attendance for his return as it should be a magical day for the team, fans, and his family.