PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Two days after receiving an ultrasound-guided cortisone shot at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, New York Mets third baseman David Wright returned to camp and pledged to be ready for Opening Day on April 5.

Wright revealed Wednesday that he had a muscle tear toward the left side of his abdomen -- technically, the rectus abdominis muscle. He believed he had a rib cage strain before an MRI exam revealed the true diagnosis.

"Whenever you strain a muscle, essentially there's some tearing," Wright said. "So it sounds a lot worse than it is. ... I think I'm past the difficult part. Now it's just a matter of getting back in the swing of things and making sure that I can get back on the field as soon as my body will allow me to, and then get some at-bats."

He might be able to resume limited activities in camp Thursday, after allowing the recommended 48 hours for the anti-inflammatory injection to kick in.

"It obviously was the best way to try to get on the field faster," Wright said of the cortisone shot.

Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman suffered a rectus abdominis tear last season, tried rehab and eventually had surgery, costing him 60 games.

Wright, who grew up with Zimmerman, said he was unaware that was the case and added: "I don't plan on missing any games."

Wright said that had this injury occurred during the season, he would like to think he would have remained in the lineup.

"It wasn't so much a sharp pain. It's just more of an uncomfortable cramp," Wright said. "So I take a lot of pride in trying to go out there and play when I feel like I can play. This would have been one of the times where I would have hoped that I could have played through it. But it doesn't make any sense doing that now."