David Wright to start baseball activities Monday
Injured David Wright of the New York Mets has a laugh in the dugout before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on Wednesday, April 15, 2015. Credit: Jim McIsaac
David Wright is scheduled to start baseball activities Monday in Port St. Lucie. Terry Collins wants him to take it slow, so there's still no timetable for the return of Wright, who went on the disabled list April 15 with a strained hamstring. He also developed a back issue at some point in his rehab and Collins implied that might be the bigger concern at the moment.
"I talked to David [Saturday]," Collins said. "He's going through all his rehab stuff with the lower back. I just told him be careful, make sure that we cut the activities back so that we don't overdo it so that Tuesday you can push forward instead of kinda backing down a step. So we'll see how he comes out of it."
Meanwhile, third baseman Eric Campbell put together a nice game Sunday against the Brewers, getting two hits and an RBI in three at-bats. Campbell, always the likeliest to get sent to Triple-A, hopes to hang around a while. "When you get sent down,'' he said, "all you do is go play hard and make the decisions tough on them."
Attendance rises
After 19 home games, the Mets are averaging 30,573 per game. They averaged 27,424 in the first 19 games last season. That included four weekend series to three this year.
As the rotation turns
Collins said there will not be a six-man rotation when Dillon Gee returns from his groin injury. "We have some plans that we're looking at," he said. "[Gee's] going to pitch one more time [in the minors] probably, get back to 100 pitches. So after that, we'll decide what's going to be the best fit, who will be the fifth starter, who may go to the bullpen."
If Noah Syndergaard continues to pitch well, expect to see Gee in the bullpen.
Injury updates
Collins said a change of scenery could be in order for Bobby Parnell and Vic Black, who have been in Port St. Lucie. "We've discussed perhaps moving them out of there," he said. "They've been down there a long time. The surroundings are getting a little boring for them. To be honest, it might be time for better competition. I talked to Bobby and he's certainly looking forward to different surroundings. I think their next competition, there's a chance it'll be someplace else. I don't know if it's going to be Binghamton or Vegas." . . . Collins said Travis d'Arnaud must get an X-ray of his broken pinkie before he can swing a bat . . . Reliever Jerry Blevins (left arm fracture) will go for an X-ray shortly.
