NEW YORK -- It's another night with a short-handed roster for the New York Mets, who will face the Atlanta Braves Wednesday without two relief pitchers and two middle of the order hitters.

But manager Terry Collins said there's a real chance that David Wright could be back in the lineup by Thursday.

David Wright

#5 3B
New York Mets

2014 STATS

• GM123

• HR8

• RBI56

• R49

• OBP.324

• AVG.266

Wright hasn't played since Sunday, when he was forced out of the game in Los Angeles with neck spasms. He got extensive treatment Tuesday, and by Wednesday he had improved to the point that he took batting practice in the indoor cage and then on the field.

"He told me, 'If it's this good [Thursday], I'll be in there,'" Collins said.

Collins wouldn't say the same about Daniel Murphy, who has missed the last two games with a calf injury.

Meanwhile, Collins suggested that he would again be without both right-hander Vic Black and lefty Josh Edgin in the bullpen. The situation with Black's neck is apparently more serious, with Collins saying that he'll likely miss at least a couple more days.

D'Arnaud at cleanup: Having Murphy and Wright both out of the lineup forces Collins to do some maneuvering, and Wednesday it meant hitting Travis d'Arnaud cleanup for the first time in his career.

"I hope he doesn't get carried away," Collins said. "But to be honest, it's a pat on the back for him, because he's become a huge part of our lineup."