David Wright extended his hitting streak to 11 games in Tuesday’s 7-1 loss to the Nationals at Citi Field, but he still has just eight homers — hardly what the Mets envisioned from the third baseman.
Nevertheless, general manager Sandy Alderson isn’t ready to say Wright’s career is headed downward.
“I’m sure he’s not happy with the season he’s had, but I think it would be way premature to generalize what’s going to happen going into the future based on this season,” Alderson said.
Instead, Alderson is focusing on Wright’s body of work, which before this season looked considerably better.
“The last couple of years he’s been outstanding,” Alderson said.
“Unfortunately, you come to expect that kind of outstanding performance from somebody like David all the time and that’s not fair. It’s not fair for us to rely on that.”
Because every penny counts in Queens, the Mets can’t afford to pay Wright, who went 2-for-4 Tuesday night, like a star if he doesn’t perform like one. The Mets’ captain is in the second year of an eight-year, $138 million contract extension which will pay him $20 million this season.
Alderson and manager Terry Collins said there’s no guarantee Wright’s power will return.
“We have to account for the fact that these guys are human and they’re going to be better one week than they are the next week or month,” Alderson said. “I think we take into account what the variation and performance can be with every player. What’s a realistic expectation as opposed to ‘Let’s factor in the best year a guy can possibly have or has had in the past and punch that in.’”
This clearly won’t be his best season, but the Mets would like some more production.
“We play in a park where maybe his swing doesn’t play like it did at Shea,” Collins said. “That’s OK. [He just needs to] be a good hitter. Do I think the power is going to come back? I don’t know that it’s gone anywhere.”
Collins attributed some of Wright’s problems to his swing being long, which could be a result of his shoulder injury. Recently, the manager has seen the swing get shorter.
“He’s getting hits,” Collins said. “That’s all I care about right now.”
Daisuke Matsuzaka likely will get one or two more rehab starts as he comes back from elbow inflammation.
“We want to make sure he’s lengthened out,” said Collins, who added the right-hander’s role when he returns will be dictated by the team’s needs.
Jacob deGrom said though he didn’t think his shoulder injury was serious, it is “good to know” after an MRI exam showed it was rotator cuff tendinitis. He is expected to miss two starts while on the 15-day DL.
Collins said Jenrry Mejia’s hernia is not a major issue.
“He had that hernia when he saved seven in a row,” Collins said of the closer, who brought up the injury after he got hit hard the other day. “He made a mistake. He offered a little bit too much information. He’s not hurt.”