Written by Kristie Ackert at New York Daily News.com
Neil Walker could not do it any more. The Mets second baseman said he tried to play with the herniated disc in his back, but there was concern that it would further damage his back and lower body and he was unsure how effective he could be. So Walker confirmed Thursday afternoon that he has decided to have season-ending surgery.
“The questions I asked and the initial prognosis was to try and push through this thing and I did. The more I tried to push through it, the more I realized I was hurting the team and myself,” Walker said before Thursday night’s series finale against the Marlins at Citi Field. “I had to be honest with what was going on here. Like I said, this was a very difficult decision. I want nothing more than to be on the field and it’s very disappointing in my eyes.”
And disappointing for the Mets, who were saying just Wednesday that he was “day-to-day.”
They were hoping to ride Walker’s hot bat down the stretch and into the playoffs. In the second half of the season, Walker was hitting .347 with eight home runs, three doubles, a triple and 18 RBI in 31 games.
But this issue, which Walker said he has battled for at least four years, was only getting worse. He missed four days on the last road trip with the ailment and also missed games earlier in the season. An MRI taken this week, when compared to the one done in June for the same issue, showed there had been damage to the disc that needed to be addressed.
“There was a suggestion from all three that I could attempt to play through it, but that was also immediately followed by ‘But if you do, you could be putting yourself at much greater risk of more than just back issues,’” Walker said.
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