Mets careful after Wright, Hairston tweak obliques

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- If Mets manager Terry Collins had any second thoughts about his decision to scratch David Wright from Saturday's intrasquad game, the reason he did so became painfully obvious a few hours later.

Wright's name was crossed off the lineup card because of what the Mets described as stiffness in the left rib-cage area, a particularly vulnerable spot for baseball players. Just ask Scott Hairston, who did start Saturday's game but was forced to leave after re-injuring his left oblique, an injury that landed him on the disabled list for the final five weeks last season.

Hairston, the Mets' backup centerfielder, will get a cortisone shot Monday but will be sidelined indefinitely. That type of scenario is exactly what Collins is desperate to avoid with Wright, whose activities have been limited. He was allowed to take only infield practice Saturday.

Wright missed 59 games last season because of a stress fracture in his back, and even though this discomfort seems unrelated, the Mets are taking no chances with the oblique area. Collins said Wright "felt a little stretch in his ribs" on a defensive play earlier in the week.

"It is a red flag for players," Collins said. "They're so big and strong today, any time those areas start to flare up, it's an issue."

Wright downplayed the injury that morning and even refused to specify where he was hurting. Arms folded across his chest, he explained that he would have been fine to play if this were the regular season rather than an intrasquad game. He still participated in some drills with his teammates -- though no batting practice -- and also fielded grounders hit by Tim Teufel on the stadium field.

"It's just some soreness and they didn't want it to escalate into something else," Wright said. "This is just preventive stuff . . . I want to try to take it slow, especially this early in spring."

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Wright will be held out of Sunday's final intrasquad game but remains scheduled to start Monday's Grapefruit League opener against the Nationals at Digital Domain Park. Collins did not say how long he will play, but Wright is expected to be on a short leash that night.

"We just asked him to back off," Collins said. "We've got 31 exhibition games to play. We've got a long way to go. He looks terrific. He's in great shape. He's swinging the bat great and I'm not going to get him hurt in an intrasquad game."

The Mets weren't as fortunate with Hairston, who aggravated last season's oblique strain during a swing in the first inning and did not return. The area had been bothering him this past week -- he was late for Friday's photo day after spending 90 minutes on the trainer's table that morning -- and the pain became more acute Saturday.

"Once I felt a grab, I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to take another swing," said Hairston, who signed a one-year, $1.1-million contract in January. "I wouldn't think it's as serious as it was last year. I think right now, the way I feel, it's one of those things where I know it's injured, but it's not severe.

"It's just really something that comes out of nowhere. I took BP today and it felt pretty good. But once you get in a game-like situation -- you got the adrenaline going, trying to hit a 92-mph fastball instead of a 56 one in BP, with the muscles firing -- if you have an injury, or rebounding from one, you become vulnerable if you're not fully healed. I guess that was the case."

Hairston, 31, first suffered the oblique strain Aug. 23 and did not return last season. He assumed this recurrence is from scar tissue in that same area but was unsure if it is in the same spot as the initial strain.

Whatever the case, it makes an already unsettled outfield situation a bit more chaotic for the Mets. Collins said Adam Loewen will replace Hairston as the backup to Andres Torres.

"The only thing that scares me about Scott is that he did it bad last year," Collins said of Hairston's previous strain. "I'm concerned about it."