David Wright donned his Mets uniform and played catch in the outfield at Citi Field on Thursday, his most significant baseball activity since last September, when his latest comeback attempt was derailed.
Though general manager Sandy Alderson later indicated the Mets captain would begin baseball activities within one to three weeks, Wright was already on the clock as far as he was concerned.
“Playing catch in my opinion is a baseball activity,” Wright said before the Mets played the Cubs. “Playing catch is as baseball as you get, so a good first step and a long way to go.”
Wright, who has undergone three surgeries since he last appeared in a major league game in May 2016, said he was recently told by doctors that he’s finished healing and was clear to resume workouts. Last September, Wright underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. A month later, Wright — who is managing spinal stenosis — underwent surgery to alleviate pressure in his back.
The 35-year-old third baseman plans to continue throwing in the coming days before moving on to fielding grounders, hitting and running — in that order.
“One of the worst things for me before the surgery was swinging and missing, check swinging, and I’ve had my fair share of swings and misses,” Wright said.
“So those are the things that really hurt me the most pre-surgery, and those are the things I’m really going to have to see how they feel once I start ramping it up and getting to that point. Diving for a ball, running full speed, doing things you just can’t do in a gym or a controlled environment.”
Wright said he’s mapped out a tentative schedule of baseball activities, but acknowledged it’s tough to plan more than a day in advance given the variables involved.
“It’s a day-by-day thing,” Wright said. “I have been down this road enough to know that you never really know what tomorrow brings, so it was nice to get out there today. It was nice to throw for a little bit, and I think every day we’re going to try to ramp it up more and more and see how my shoulder and back respond.
“It’s Day 1. I guess we kind of have gone up a phase, but it’s Day 1 of baseball stuff, and hopefully more days to come where things continue to go well.”