New York Mets: Can David Wright Fight Through Pain in 2012?

Now that it's been decided that New York Mets third basemen, David Wright, will continue to play despite his fractured right pinky, the question is, will he be able to play though the pain?

According to ESPN, the five-time All-Star made it known that he won't be missing any time due to the injury when he said this:

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"It will be good to get in there and just prove to myself that this is something I can play through. I wouldn't go out there and play if it was a coin flip how I felt. I feel pretty good, and I feel close enough to where I can go out there and help the team more than I could hurt it."

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The injury occurred during the opening game of the Washington Nationals series on April 9 when Wright jammed his pinky into first base while diving back on a pickoff attempt.

For those of you who doubt Wright's ability to remain a threat in the three-hole in the Mets' lineup, just remember that this guy played with a broken back for a few games before landing on the disabled list last season.

In case you forgot, he hit a home run after doing it.

Not only did he stay in the lineup, he missed just two months because of it. While it was "just" a stress fracture, far less serious than a full-blown broken spine, one of his vertebrae still compressed into another.

Sounds pretty serious to me.

He faced another uncomfortable injury during spring training, a strained oblique that threatened to push back the start of Wright's 2012 season. He was able to overcome that obstacle and play through the pain then as well.

Wright's ability to properly grip the ball to make quality throws, along with the possibility that he won't be able to swing through as many pitches are the two huge problems that Wright is facing thanks to his newest injury.

Wright's fielding is a cause for concern. He's had a bit of trouble making accurate throws in the past, frequently dropping his arm angle, resulting in low throws to first base.

The customized splint that Wright has been fitted for certainly won't better his accuracy. To make matters worse, the fracture is in the middle part of his finger. That makes it harder for the splint to maximize comfort while minimizing the impact on his range of motion.

Wright gave fans some good news and some bad news when he said this: "For me, the main thing … after I did it, hitting really hurt," said Wright. "Throwing wasn't nearly as bad as gripping the bat."

Even though we were just forewarned that his hitting will be affected, it may not be so bad, as the injured pinky is on his top hand. That means that he won't be inhibited when it comes to gripping the knob of the bat with his bottom hand.

However, his power stroke could suffer, seeing as he won't be able to get all his strength behind every swing.

Don't fret Mets fans. If his performance since returning from a three-game hiatus is any indication of what the future holds, Wright will be okay. 

In his return to the lineup on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies, Wright went 3-for-5 with a home run off of Vance Worley in his first plate appearance. Wright got a pitch he was able to turn on and launched an impressive 428-foot shot to center field. He also added an opposite field bloop single, then pulled a ball to left field for another hit. 

In yesterday's game, he racked up another multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4. While he didn't chip in with any extra-base hits, I saw one of the most impressive things out of him thus far in this young season. 

In the top of the sixth inning, long after Cole Hamels had settled down and begun to shut the Mets down, Wright showed signs of his old self. He looked overwhelmed by Hamels in the at-bat, but when he got busted in on his hands, he inside-outed a fastball to the opposite field.

That's vintage Wright (2005-2008). He didn't try to do too much with any given pitch. He took what the pitcher gave him. Last season, he was swinging and missing on inside fastballs pretty consistently. This season, he's gone back to his roots, shortening up with two strikes and spraying the ball to all fields.

So for now, Wright looks okay. Hopefully he doesn't suffer any setbacks, as he's one fastball on the hands away from a definite trip to the disabled list.

Manager Terry Collins made this comment on the situation:

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"When you see this guy who is going out there -- the face of this team and the face of this organization -- playing with a broken finger, the hamstrings may not be as tight. I'm serious. I don't mean to make a joke about it. If you're a guy on this team and you're saying, 'Well, I've got a star on this team that's playing with a broken finger, I've certainly got a sore shoulder, but I'll throw some aspirin down and let's go.' "

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Awesome. A preemptive strike against the players on the team who may want a day off due to fatigue. Obviously it's a marathon season and guys are going to need their rest, but if you can run, throw and swing the bat, you need to be on that field with the rest of your teammates.

It's huge for the entire roster that Wright is playing through the pain. It sends a much needed message, just like Collins said.

Jason Bay didn't get that message though, as he rode the pine for yesterday's game because of a jammed finger. If that's not a microcosm of Bay's career with the Mets, I don't know what is. 

He's just not what we expected. But I digress.

So things may not be as bad as they could have been. The face of the franchise seems like he will be okay. Other players will feed off of Wright's commitment to the team. And maybe, just maybe, we can enjoy baseball until August (fingers crossed).