Major League Baseball

Mets' Wright out with stress fracture

Published May. 16, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Mets third baseman David Wright has a stress fracture in his lower back that is expected to keep him out a couple weeks, though the team is awaiting a second opinion before deciding whether to put him on the disabled list.

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said Monday that Wright had an MRI exam at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York to check on his back, which has been bothering him since he made a diving tag on Houston's Carlos Lee during a game April 19 at Citi Field.

The tentative results showed a stress fracture that typically needs rest to heal. Alderson called it a ''non-surgical'' course of treatment that could take at least 10 days.

''There is the possibility of a disablement, but we won't know that until we get a second opinion,'' Alderson said. ''In the meantime, he continues to be on the roster and available.''

Wright was not in the lineup posted before Monday night's game against Florida.

The star slugger said he was shocked to learn of the diagnosis. He had been reluctant to have an MRI for several weeks despite experiencing what he called a stiff back, preferring instead to receive treatment from the training staff and play through the pain.

Wright finally agreed to have the scans at the team's behest, and said he was shaken Monday when he learned about the stress fracture and began speaking with spine specialists.

''I thought going in it would just be a routine thing,'' he said. ''I was preparing for Josh Johnson and the Marlins and coming out of that, my head was spinning.

''I don't think I was scared. I think disappointed,'' he said. ''I think you want to be with your teammates and I feel like not being able to do that is disappointing, it's frustrating, you know? But I've played through this so I know that I'm not scared by any means. Hopefully get this thing knocked out in two weeks and be right back at it.''

Mets manager Terry Collins said he isn't sure whether the injury, and any impact it may have had on his swing, is the reason that Wright has gotten off to a slow start this season.

He's hitting just .226 with six homers and 18 RBIs.

''David was shocked by it,'' Collins said. ''He did not want to go on the disabled list, he's been playing with it and he thinks he can continue to play with it.''

Wright certainly wasn't about to blame the injury on his recent struggles.

''By no means is this thing a cop-out or an excuse for what I've done so far,'' he said. ''I've played through it and when I take the field, I expect to play at a certain level, and thus far I haven't been able to play at that level.

''This two weeks, I'm going to get better,'' he said. ''I'm going to get back in the lineup and I'm going to start playing at the level I expect.''

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