NEW YORK -- Unable to recover from the shoulder weakness that has sidelined him since Spring Training, Mets infielder David Wright has elected surgery to repair his right rotator cuff, the team announced on Monday.
Wright will undergo the operation Tuesday in New York, ending any chance he had at a comeback this season.
"They just thought this was the only thing they needed to get done, to take care of so he could get back on the field and continue the process of trying to get back," Mets manager Terry Collins said before Monday's game against the Phillies. "It's really tough to watch."
The Mets also announced that infielder T.J. Rivera will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Rivera had been attempting to rehab the injury in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Wright, 34, has appeared in just 75 games since 2015 due to shoulder, back and neck issues. He missed most of the '15 campaign rehabbing his spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column that will affect him for the rest of his life. The following summer, Wright underwent surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck. He did not return, instead reporting to Spring Training this year experiencing shoulder weakness.
Despite all of the injuries, Collins said Wright will continue to persevere with the goal of taking the field in a Mets uniform again.
"The one thing I can tell you is that during our discussions, he just said, 'Look, I think I still have something to offer and I've got to give myself that chance to see if I could do it,'" Collins said. "We sit back as people who watched him when he was the best, and say, 'Why would you go through it?' I just think this guy's heart's still in it."
Longtime friend and teammate Jose Reyes texted Wright last week and said he was in his normal spirits, joking around.
"To see him put in all the hard work that he put in all this time, and now he's going to have surgery, it's not an easy thing to do when you try to come back for so long," Reyes said. "Now you're going to have surgery and you know for sure that you're going to be shut down."
That latest malady stuck with Wright throughout the summer, shutting down his rehab attempts on multiple occasions. Wright most recently began a Minor League rehab assignment Aug. 22, playing three games with Class A Advanced St. Lucie before shutting down due to shoulder pain.
Overall the past three seasons, Wright has hit .260 with 12 home runs and an .801 OPS in 338 plate appearances. The team captain, he remains under contract for three more seasons and $47 million, and he has not expressed any public desire to halt his comeback attempts.

Rivera, 28, hit .290 with five home runs in 73 games this season while playing four positions for the Mets. An undrafted free agent from the Bronx, Rivera will miss the rest of the season and likely a chunk of next year as well. When he does return, Rivera will be given the chance to compete for an everyday job.
"I think you've got to put his name in the mix," Collins said. "Again, I have no idea what the entire roster will look like. But T.J. Rivera has shown he can hit in this league and be proficient at it, where he's a dangerous guy in the middle of your lineup."
The Mets also announced Monday that reliever Josh Edgin, who spent much of this year in the Minors, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Edgin posted a 3.65 ERA in 46 games for the Mets.