The New York Mets will be without their top position player for even longer after he suffered a setback in rehab while the Tampa Bay Rays will lose their top starter for the rest of the 2015 season.
Third baseman David Wright has been on the disabled list since Apr. 15 with a right hamstring strain and he was expected to miss three weeks, according to general manager Sandy Alderson. His stay on the disabled list will likely be extended after a new injury surfaced yesterday.
"Wright was examined by team doctors Thursday night at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan after experiencing lower-back pain," writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. "An MRI did not reveal any structural damage, the Mets said. Wright may resume baseball activity when the back pain subsides."
The newfound discomfort is somewhat concerning because Wright missed two months of the 2011 season with a stress fracture in his lower back. It's unknown how long it will take for him to return to the Mets' lineup, but the rehab with his hamstring injury was already behind schedule because he was not yet ready to run at full speed.
It was believed he could return in the middle of next week or next weekend, but that probably won't be the case.
In Tampa, the Rays received even worse news. Starting pitcher Alex Cobb, who was found to have a partially torn UCL earlier this week, has opted to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a "significant" tear in his right elbow, according to the Tampa Bay Rays official Twitter account.
Cobb originally said he planned to pitch through the injury, but Rays' president of baseball operations Matt Silverman said the club was "continuing to do the evaluation to figure out what the next steps are." Apparently the damage was more severe than Cobb and the team initially thought and he'll now be out until late 2016.
The right-hander was shut down after being diagnosed with tendinitis in his elbow during spring training and had yet to pitch this season. For the second straight season the Rays will lose one of their top starters to Tommy John surgery.
"It's a tough decision because you want to hold onto every last hope of being able to pitch this year and contribute, but I think not only for my own future but going into next season and contributing for the team next year, better not to waste any more time. Just go ahead and do it," Cobb told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
The Mets and Rays will have to battle through these injuries, but luckily for them their divisions have given them an opportunity to stay competitive for the time being. However, that may not be the case for much longer.
