Wright said he began feeling discomfort in his left ribs about a week ago when Team USA began preparing for the WBC with workouts in Arizona. He said the Team USA injury reports sent up "red flags'' to the Mets when they saw them in Port St. Lucie, and that he received a call from trainer Ray Ramirez on Thursday.
Wright later conferred with Torre and Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, and the decision was made that the third baseman should sit out against the Dominicans.
Wright said the injury bothers him more when he's "lounging around'' than when he's playing, and added that he's had difficulty sleeping in recent days because of the discomfort. Although he plans to lobby to continue playing in the WBC, he said his first priority is to be at full strength for the Mets in time for the regular season.
"Sandy said he knows I'm disappointed,'' Wright said, "and I told him I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Opening Day. We both agreed that this was a decision that had to be made.
"I owe it to the Mets to listen to them and be ready for Opening Day. That's extremely important to me. It's something I obviously don't want to jeopardize.''
