New York Mets Rumors: David Wright’s Diagnosis Of Spinal Stenosis Could Be Career-Ending

The New York Mets may have just suffered a devastating blow to their future with rumors that David Wright’s latest health setback may turn out to be career-ending.

Wright went on the 15-day DL earlier this year with a hamstring issue, but developed pain in his lower back and now has missed several weeks. On Friday the news got even worse, with reports that the All-Star third baseman is suffering from a serious condition known as spinal stenosis.

The New York Mets are taking it slow with Wright, shutting him down from all baseball activities to see if he might improve a bit from some back-strengthening exercises.

Mets assistant GM John Ricco said the team hopes giving Wright some time off will help him see gains in his recovery that so far just haven’t come.

“When I talked to David, he said that when they initially put him on some medication, he got a lot of relief. But that’s kind of plateaued,” Ricco said. “It hasn’t been knocked out completely. So the doctor said that to try to give that a chance to happen we want to back off the running and just get him doing these exercises for another week and see where we are at that point.”

This is not the first time Wright has dealt with back issues. In the 2011 season he suffered a stress fracture in his lower back, causing him to miss two months of the season.

There are rumors that the New York Mets will be losing Wright for much longer this time. Many noted that spinal stenosis is a very serious condition that can leave a person in near-constant pain.

It was actually spinal stenosis that led another Mets legend to hang up his cleats.

David Wright diagnosed with spinal stenosis. It’s serious. The same condition forced Lenny Dykstra to retire at 35 #Mets

— Bob Klapisch (@BobKlap) May 23, 2015

Spinal stenosis involves a narrowing of the spinal column, which the National Institutes of Health said can lead to pain and numbness. Dykstra isn’t the only athlete to lose his career to the ailment. Former New York Giants running back David Wilson also retired after being diagnosed with spinal stenosis.

If the rumors are true and the New York Mets lose David Wright forever, the team may need to find help at the position. The team has Eric Campbell as a backup, but could try to swing a trade for a more effective hitter. Campbell, a career .241 hitter, is hitting just .143 this year.

[Image via Jim McIsaac]