Mets will look for spots to give Wright rest

NEW YORK -- After a grueling end to the first half, most of the Mets had four days off to be away from the ballpark and relax. But David Wright only had two of those days since he played in both the Chevrolet Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game.

The Mets are hoping those two days were enough to get some rest, but manager Terry Collins said Wright's playing time will be monitored in the second half.

"He is tired, make no mistake about it," Collins said. "Those two days might have rekindled some energy. But I think in the second half, we've got to take a look at it."

Having to be back on the field after an abbreviated All-Star break isn't helped by the fact that New York will play in scorching hot temperatures for much of this weekend. Collins said both Friday and Saturday will be "taxing."

The Mets held a team workout at Citi Field on Thursday, but Collins said he told Wright he didn't need to be there.

Going forward, Collins said he'll need to make sure he spots both Wright and second baseman Daniel Murphy a day off every so often in the second half. Wright played in 90 of the team's 91 games in the first half, while Murphy played in all 91.

The Mets' schedule heading into the All-Star break was a gauntlet, and it isn't much easier to start the second half. With a doubleheader next Friday in Washington, New York has another loaded stretch of games.

"We've got 18 games in the next 17 days," Collins said, "so we've got to certainly make sure there's some rest time in there."