NEW YORK — Mets slugger David Wright was released from the hospital Sunday, one day after he was hit in the helmet by a 94 mph fastball from San Francisco’s Matt Cain and crumpled to the ground in the batter’s box.

Team spokesman Jay Horwitz said the All-Star third baseman was examined by a neurologist Saturday night and again Sunday morning before being sent home. Wright still had a headache and was experiencing “post-concussion symptoms,” Horwitz said.
When asked if Wright could miss the rest of the season, New York manager Jerry Manuel said it’s “a possibility” depending on how further tests come out. The club had not decided whether to put him on the disabled list before Sunday’s game against the Giants.
“I do believe we have to be cautious with this, and we will be,” said Manuel, who got a text message from Wright on Sunday morning saying he was OK. “There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Wright was hit just above the ear hole by a pitch from Cain in the fourth inning, sending his batting helmet flying into the air and the gritty infielder sprawling to the ground. Wright lay there for several minutes before walking off the field with some help from trainers.
He was taken by ambulance to the Hospital for Special Surgery about 50 minutes later, where a CT scan came back negative.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who had Wright on his team during an All-Star tour of Japan three years ago, reiterated Sunday that the pitch that hit Wright was not intentional.
“Sometimes it gets to the point where any pitch inside, if it hits a batter, it’s on purpose,” he said. “I felt horrible. ... It’s a sick feeling when someone gets hit in the head.”
Wright is batting .324 with eight homers and 55 RBIs, and had missed only one game for the banged-up Mets this season. The club is already without Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran, and the pitching staff is missing J.J. Putz, John Maine and Jon Niese.
Even so, the Mets will be especially cautious with Wright after they were criticized for rushing back Ryan Church from multiple concussions last year. The outfielder experienced dizziness and other post-concussion symptoms, and although he repeatedly asked to be in the lineup, Church never seemed fully recovered and struggled much of the season.
“David would know well enough whether he can move forward,” Manuel said. “He’s a bright young man and he understands a lot of different things, what’s going on, and I think he has enough wisdom to put it in its right place.”
His absence nevertheless puts the Mets in another bind, because versatile infielder Alex Cora is still nursing a hand injury. Fernando Tatis started in Wright’s place at third base Sunday, with Luis Castillo at second and Anderson Hernandez at shortstop.
The 26-year-old Hernandez was reacquired by the Mets in a trade with Washington on Aug. 6.
“We’re somewhat, obviously, short-handed in a sense,” Manuel said. “We’ll just have to do what we do, play good baseball, get after it, keep fighting.”
The incident involving Wright prompted retaliation from Mets starter Johan Santana, who first threw behind the back of Pablo Sandoval and then hit Bengie Molina during San Francisco’s 5-4, 10-inning victory Saturday.
Neither manager expected any warnings to be issued before the first pitch Sunday.
“There’s no history there, so I don’t think anybody’s worried about that,” Bochy said. “As long as this game has been played, it’s going to happen. ... Baseball has a way of taking care of its own issues. With that said, more is done today as far as fines, suspensions, to prevent these beanball wars.”