Wandy Rodriguez World Baseball Classic Dominican Republic
Captain America's weakness is apparently the intercostal muscle. (USATSI)

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One day after being a late scratch from the Team USA lineup against the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, David Wright got some more bad news. The Mets third baseman has been shut down for three to five days with a strained intercostal (ribcage area) muscle, general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters Friday.

Also, and here's the really bad news, it's possible Wright will be forced to open the season on the disabled list, though the Mets said it's "too early to speculate" specifically on that (via Jon  Heyman of CBSSports.com). 

So we can close the book on Wright's run in the World Baseball Classic. He earned the moniker "Captain America" after hitting .438/.526/.750 with two doubles, a home run (which was a grand slam) and 10 RBI -- tying a WBC record with the latter. Chase Headley has joined Team USA as a replacement and Ben Zobrist will get the start at third base Friday night in USA's elimination game against Puerto Rico.

More importantly in the grander scheme of things here is Wright's status with the Mets. He's their franchise player, having signed a seven-year, $122 million contract extension this past offseason.

Wright, 30, hit .306/.391/.492 with 21 homers, 93 RBI, 91 runs and 41 doubles last season, making his sixth All-Star game.

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