Alderson: Wright Returning By All-Star Break Is 'Realistic Possibility'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's been a nightmarish season for Mets captain David Wright.
The star third baseman strained his hamstring on April 14, but after the hamstring healed he experienced back pain. Wright was subsequently diagnosed with spinal stenosis.
The seven-time All-Star has been working to regain his strength in Los Angeles. There's no concrete timetable for his return, but general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters on Monday it's "realistic" that Wright could return by the All-Star break in mid-July.
"What I try to do is look at the next benchmarks," Alderson said, according to NJ.com. "What are the benchmarks? One of them is, say, the first of July. We're in the middle of June right now. Another benchmark might be the first of July. Might be the All-Star break. The trade deadline is July 31. The month of August. So there are these benchmarks.
"Realistically, I'm looking at probably the All-Star break as a realistic possibility."
Prior to getting injured, Wright was hitting .333 (11-for-33) with a homer and four RBIs in eight games.
In other injury-related news, Alderson said that he expects Daniel Murphy -- on the disabled list with a left quad strain -- to return on Saturday, The Record's Matt Ehalt reported.
Ehalt also reported that starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard will remain in the rotation for now, but could pitch out of the bullpen later in the season.
In six starts, the rookie is 2-4 with a 4.15 ERA. The 22-year-old has struck out 34 and walked six in 34 2/3 innings.
