PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- David Wright's deliberate spring progression is nearing an end.
Wright is tentatively scheduled to appear in at least one Minor League game Monday, in what would be his first live action of the spring. The Mets slowed their starting third baseman's schedule to a crawl last month, over fear that his lengthy offseason rest made him unfit to appear in early Grapefruit League games.
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"I'm at the point now where I'd like to move forward as much as possible, as much as they'll let me," Wright said. "I think the first step with that, what [manager] Terry [Collins] and I talked about, was possibly going over and getting some at-bats on the Minor League side."
Rather than move immediately into Grapefruit League games, which would only afford him the opportunity to receive two or three at-bats per day, Wright prefers to start out within the more flexible guidelines of Minor League games. Because the Mets dictate the rules of games on their own back fields, Wright could lead off every inning as a designated hitter, for example, or even play in multiple games simultaneously.
In that manner, he hopes to see enough live pitching that he will feel comfortable jumping into a Grapefruit League game as soon as Thursday or Friday.
"I can't imagine it being too much later after [Monday]," Wright said. "If I'm playing in games I'm playing in games, whether it's in the Minor Leagues or over on this side."
The Mets fully expect Wright, who rested at length this winter in an effort to ease stress off his back, to be ready for Opening Day. He was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column, last May, returning in August to hit .289 with five home runs in 38 games down the stretch. The Mets owe Wright $87 million over the final five seasons of an eight-year contract that runs through 2020.