|
NEW YORK -- Daniel Murphy returned to the New York Mets lineup Tuesday night, but now David Wright is out. Wright felt more pain in the left shoulder that has bothered him for much of the season, and the Mets decided to send him to see the doctor to have the shoulder examined again. "This guy plays with so much pain that when he says it's not right, there's a little concern," manager Terry Collins said. Eric Campbell will play third base and bat third in Wright's place Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. Wright's shoulder has been a constant issue since June 12, when he first hurt it while sliding headfirst on a muddy field. While he has tried at times to claim that it wasn't a factor in his subpar season, it's been obvious to most who were watching that he hasn't been playing healthy. "He's a shell of himself," said one scout who follows the National League East. "You even see him throwing different." The Mets will have only 17 games remaining after Tuesday. If Tuesday's exam shows any more damage to the shoulder, it would be hard to see what Wright would accomplish by continuing to play. Wright has actually hit a little better over the last week, but he's still batting just .238 since the All-Star break, with no home runs and only seven extra-base hits in 46 games. Moving the fences: A day after general manager Sandy Alderson again raised the idea of moving the right-field fence in at Citi Field, Collins said he would favor a move. "It'll help us, because we've got guys who hit the ball in that area," Collins said, citing Wright, Curtis Granderson, Lucas Duda and even Travis d'Arnaud. "I think it's going to help us a little bit, confidence-wise. "I think it would be great for us." No room for Dilson: With Murphy back in the lineup after missing two weeks with a calf strain, 20-year-old Dilson Herrera was on the bench Tuesday. Alderson and Collins have both said that Murphy will get most of the playing time at second base the rest of the way, with Herrera limited to a few spot starts and pinch-hitting or pinch-running duty. "We've seen a lot [from Herrera], and it's going to be fun to watch him grow," Collins said. "Obviously, I think he's going to be a real good offensive player. He's showed power. For a guy who's not real big, he's strong. And everybody said you're going to like this kid's enthusiasm, and we've seen that." Black out: Collins said he wouldn't use Vic Black on Tuesday, and again expressed some concern about the way Black looked in his return from the disabled list Monday night. Black said he is healthy, although he admitted he may have lost some strength in his legs while he was out.
|
