David Wright ripped a few balls to right field. He lined several more to left.
When Thursday’s batting practice was over, the seven-time All-Star had put two balls into the seats in left field, and added another four homers to left center.
When Friday night comes, Wright may get an opportunity to step to the plate for real.
Despite being activated before the three-game series with the Braves, Wright has supposedly been kept out of action, in part, because of Atlanta’s current battle for home-field advantage in the playoffs. But with the basement-dwelling Marlins arriving for the final weekend of the regular season, manager Mickey Callaway said Wright could pinch hit before making his farewell start Saturday night.
“I think [Friday] we’ll really open up the possibility of a lot more, depending on the game situation,” Callaway said. “We’ll make sure he’s in a good spot to get out there Saturday and be recognized like he’s deserving of.”
Wright, who last played with the Mets on May 27, 2016, hasn’t seen live game action since appearing with Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 29.
While Callaway has acknowledged it’d be ideal for Wright to see live pitching prior to Saturday, the manager wouldn’t commit to playing him before the scheduled start.
“We’ve had that concern. We’ve talked to David, and he feels like that would not hinder him from starting on Saturday,” Callaway said. “I don’t think anything’s gonna stop him at this point from playing on Saturday.”
Though Seth Lugo (3-4, 2.66 ERA) has only started in five of his 54 appearances this season, Callaway said he plans on using him as a starter in spring training.
Whether Lugo will remain in the rotation is uncertain.
“It’s gonna depend on the moves we make this winter,” Callaway said. “He’ll train as a starter over the winter, we’ll bring him into spring training and start him off like a starter and then make an adjustment along the way if we need to.”
Friday starter Corey Oswalt (3-3, 6.08 ERA) has also bounced between starting and relieving this season, and Callaway told the rookie he could fill the same role next season.
“You can embrace it and do the best you can and overcome it to put yourself in a position at some point in the future to be able to stay every day, or you can let it affect you,” Callaway told Oswalt during Thursday’s exit meeting. “He’s done a great job of overcoming it and showing us what we need to see.”