Mets’ Wright has neck surgery
Now it’s certain: David Wright will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
That’s a scenario the New York Mets have become painfully familiar with the past few years.
Wright had surgery Thursday to repair a herniated disk in his neck, and it’s unclear how long the oft-injured third baseman might be out. The team did not provide an estimated time frame for Wright’s potential return, but the 33-year-old captain is expected to miss most of the remainder of the season – perhaps all of it.
“I think as an organization we’ve got to say it’s going to be quite a while,” manager Terry Collins said. “Even if it’s two months out, you’re still talking about September, where you can increase the rosters anyway. So we’ve got to certainly make sure we consider ourselves, until September, that he’s not going to be around.”
A really big hit in Japan: Suzuki picks off Rose’s total
Ichiro Suzuki’s latest milestone has been a really big hit in Japan.
Newspapers published special editions for the morning rush hour, the national broadcaster led with the news, and fans and dignitaries paid tribute after Suzuki raised his career hits total in the Japanese and North American major leagues to 4,257, passing Pete Rose’s record Major League Baseball total.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe praised Suzuki’s mark as “an amazing record.”
“A Japanese athlete has once again made a monumental contribution,” Abe said, “and I feel tremendous pride.”
The 42-year-old Suzuki singled in the first inning against the San Diego Padres and doubled in the ninth to move past Rose, who had 4,256 hits over 24 seasons.
Suzuki had 1,278 hits for Orix in Japan’s Pacific League (1992-00) and the rest with the Seattle Mariners, the New York Yankees and his current team, the Miami Marlins.
Rounding the bases
The Mets placed outfielder Juan Lagares on the disabled list due to the partial tear of his left thumb and infielder Ty Kelly was promoted from Class AAA Las Vegas. … The Chicago Cubs will promote highly touted catcher Willson Contreras. The promotion is designed to get him acclimated to the majors in the same manner the team did last June with Kyle Schwarber. … The Cincinnati Reds have placed right-hander A.J. Morris on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. … The Kansas City Royals have reinstated outfielder Brett Eibner from the disabled list and optioned Reymond Fuentes to Triple-A Omaha. … Hall of Famer Joe Torre has been chosen as the general manager for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. … Phillies pitcher Alec Asher was suspended for 80 games for violating MLB’s drug agreement following a positive test for a banned substance. … Twins closer Glen Perkins will miss the rest of the season because of a persistent left shoulder injury that will require surgery.