NEW YORK -- David Wright's sore left shoulder has already turned 2014 into the worst season of his 11-year career.
Now Wright and the New York Mets want to ensure the injury doesn't damage his 2015 season.
Wright was diagnosed Tuesday with persistent inflammation in his rotator cuff, leading the Mets to shut down their third baseman and team captain for the final 17 games of the season.
Wright will begin a six-week program to rehabilitate and strengthen the shoulder, but the hope now is that he will be able to avoid surgery.
"[The doctors] believe we can avoid it," said Wright, who first injured the shoulder in a headfirst slide on June 12.
Wright missed seven games in late June and early July, but he never went on the disabled list and has played in 134 of the Mets' 145 games. His batting average of .269 is well below his career norm, and his .698 OPS is easily the worst of his career.
In 46 games since the All-Star break, Wright has hit .238 with only seven extra-base hits (and no home runs).
"I don't know [how much the shoulder impacted the numbers]," Wright said. "As I've said all along, I'm not one to make excuses. This season has left a sour taste in my mouth. I'm confident that after getting healthy, I'll return to doing what I'm capable of."
Even as he struggled through the second half of this season, Wright resisted any suggestions to shut it down for the year. For a long time, he refused to admit that the shoulder was affecting his play, even though it seemed obvious.
"David did what captains do," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. "He persevered. He gutted it out."
Wright continued to play, and actually saw some better results over the last week. But the shoulder continued to bother him, and Wright became more and more concerned that by continuing to play, he could do further damage and possibly end up needing surgery.
When Wright spoke with team doctors after Monday night's game against the Colorado Rockies, the doctors suggested he have the shoulder re-examined Tuesday. Wright was given another MRI exam, and the recommendation was made that he end his season.
Wright said he had no regrets about continuing to play through the pain as long as he did.
"Part of it is probably stubbornness," he said. "Part of it is I enjoy playing baseball. I'm bored sitting on the bench."
At some point, though, Wright had to give in to the reality that his shoulder wasn't getting better, and to the fear that if he didn't take care of it now, the problem could linger through the winter and into next season.
"I don't want to do something to cause this to last into next year," he said. "So I don't have to feel this way next year."