Mets injury update: David Wright to begin rehab assignment in St. Lucie later this week

David Wright will take another big step toward rejoining the Mets' roster. Wright, who has not played since April 14 due to a lingering back injury, will head to St. Lucie later in the week to begin rehab assignments and eventually see some game action.

Wright, who has been with the team recently while remaining off the active roster, has been slowly but surely working himself back to baseball shape over the past few weeks. He participated in baseball activities on Tuesday for the first time since being shut down, fielding ground balls at Citi Field before the series against the Padres. Wright will remain with the team through their series against the Marlins in Miami, then will head to St. Lucie where he will slowlybegin to see on-field action with the Mets' High-A affiliate.

While there's no actual timetable for when Wright will return to the Mets, Terry Collins remains optimistic that it will be sooner rather than later.

Collins says there is no doubt in his mind that #DavidWright will play this summer.

— New York Mets (@Mets) August 1, 2015

Wright has played in just eight games in 2015, and his recent progress is encouraging for a team still in the thick of a pennant race. With his return seemingly closer than ever, along with Travis d'Arnaud's activation on Thursday and the acquisitions of Yoenis Cespedes and Tyler Clippard before the trade deadline, the Mets will have some important pieces on their roster as the season approaches its most pivotal stretch.