Neil Walker happy David Wright will get to play in New York
Yankees first baseman Neil Walker is greeted in the dugout after his three-run home run against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Yankees' Neil Walker saluted former Mets teammate David Wright as the oft-injured captain begins what likely will be the final week of his major-league career. Wright might pinch hit during the Mets' final homestand and is scheduled to start at third base Saturday against the Marlins.
"My first year there [2016], I think he played for three weeks, then he didn't play the rest of the time I was there,’’ Walker said Sunday. “But he was always around, so I got to know him more personally than professionally.
“It’s sad. The guy was on pace to arguably be one of the better third basemen that we’ve seen. It’s unfortunate, but the type of guy he was, the talent he was, you could tell it just killed him not being able to be on the field. But he was in the dugout, he was always doing his rehab, he was helpful to the young guys and was a leader in that clubhouse even when he was sidelined. He’s going to be missed in that organization. He was the glue.
“In my opinion, 99 percent of the guys would have said, ‘I'm done, get me outta here.’ He didn't do that. He was there 1 o'clock every single day at home and on the road, rehabbing, doing what he could possibly do to get back on the field. The send-off that he’s getting, I am so happy that he is able to get on the field in front of the New York fans.”
Buck praises Andujar
Buck Showalter may be in the final days of his tenure as manager of the last-place Orioles, but the former Yankees skipper still is fully engaged on all matters baseball, and he endorsed Miguel Andujar for Rookie of the Year. “How would you like to have a Rookie of the Year hit .295 and hitting sixth in your lineup?’’ he said. Showalter also said he would pick J.A. Happ to start the wild-card game against the A's.
