For David Wright, it can be considered a triumphant return.
When the Mets captain arrives in Los Angeles this week to prepare for Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Friday, it will mark a return to the vicinity in which he spent some of his darkest moments this summer and forged a hope for the future.
Diagnosed in May with spinal stenosis, Wright spent nearly two months rehabbing his lower back in Southern California, checking in each Monday with renown orthopedist Robert Watkins at his offices in Marina Del Rey, not 20 miles from Dodger Stadium, for a weekly evaluation.