It's been more than four months since David Wright pulled a hamstring and headed to the disabled list, leaving the Mets without their biggest offensive force, presumably, for 4-6 weeks. Roughly three months ago, Wright learned of his spinal stenosis condition and doubt arose about whether he'd ever be able to return to baseball. On Monday, Wright will officially rejoin the clubhouse and the lineup. But, given what's been learned about his health and the restocking of the team's batting order with recent trades, it would appear Wright's role has dramatically changed.

An article written by Anthony DiComo found at Mets.com summarizes the team's crawl-then-walk approach with Wright - a team cornerstone for the last decade, who was recently voted one of the Mets' Franchise Four:

Wright is set to rejoin the Mets not as an everyday player, but as a contributor nonetheless, after batting .321 on an eight-game rehab assignment. Simply having him in the clubhouse will be significant.

"The surroundings are a little different now than they were in the middle of April," Collins said. "Each and every game is huge. It means a lot."

Wright rejoining 'not as an everyday player' seems shocking to read on paper, but seems to underscore how serious his stenosis condition can be. The 32-year-old third baseman not only joins a dugout with many new faces (namely Juan Uribe and Yoenis Cespedes), but the Mets are also in an unfamiliar position - First place in the NL East.

Wright has played in just one postseason in his first eleven years. That was in 2006. The following year, you may remember, Wright and the Mets missed the playoffs after blowing a seven-game division lead in mid-September. They haven't even really sniffed the playoffs since.

New York will be on track to end that drought when Wright steps in the box Monday night, holding a 5-game lead over the Nationals with 39 to play. And, the schedule is shaping up to be an easy one over the final six weeks.

The Mets play 30 of those games against teams well-under .500 (Phillies, Red Sox, Marlins, Red, Braves). Six games remain against Washington - 3 home, 3 away - and there's a Citi Field subway series left with the Yankees.

More From 96.1 The Eagle