NEW YORK -- New York Mets third baseman David Wright may opt for surgery to address the herniated disk in his neck rather than continue a conservative rehab process, general manager Sandy Alderson said Tuesday.
“By the end of this week we’ll know something more about David’s situation,” Alderson said.
Wright has been on the disabled list since June 3.
The captain has spent the past week in Los Angeles with Dr. Robert Watkins, who previously had treated Wright for spinal stenosis in the lower back.
Alderson said Watkins is conferring with team doctors about whether surgery is now the proper route for Wright with respect to the herniated disk.
Alderson said he could not say whether surgery, if selected, would end Wright’s season.
“That’s speculation based on an option that he hasn’t even chosen at this point, or hasn’t been agreed upon,” Alderson said.
The GM added that surgery would be similar to the discectomy procedure Bobby Parnell underwent while with the Mets. Parnell’s surgery occurred heading into an offseason, so he had several extra months to recover.
Alderson insisted that uncertainty regarding Wright has not hampered him as far as acquiring a replacement at third base. The Mets recently traded for Kelly Johnson to complement Wilmer Flores at third base. Alderson said higher-end options are not available now anyway.
“I don’t feel there’s any immediate ... necessity to know one way or the other in part because the availability of replacements is so limited -- limited to nonexistent -- at this point,” Alderson said. “Right now I don’t think that level of uncertainty we’re talking about has been harmful at all to the team.”
Alderson added that there is no reason to move Neil Walker to third base and call up Dilson Herrera in the short term. That would disrupt the Mets’ successful middle-infield combo. Alderson noted that there’s a logical sequence of things to try, and that’s not at the top of the list at the moment.
“I think the first question is whether that is to the betterment of the team,” Alderson said.