David Wright took batting practice outside with his teammates Thursday for the first time since being shut down with a strained abdominal, and an MLB scout told ESPN.com the New York Mets third baseman looked good.

"I thought Wright's swing was really good," the scout said. "Quick and compact. Drove ball. Made good sound. I would feel encouraged. That's the best sound I heard anybody make on either team."

Wright, who previously said he expects be ready for opening day, seems encouraged by his progress.

Said Wright: "I've been in the cage for a little bit of time now. Today was the next step in going on the field, because it's a little more energy. You exert a little more. I felt good and am headed in the right direction. I did a full day with the guys. I need to probably do that for a few more days. At least in my eyes, this was kind of like the first day for me of spring training of going through everything from stretch to the conditioning."

"I feel about as good as I'd feel, I guess, picking up a bat for the first time in a few weeks," Wright said. "Hopefully it gets better from here result-wise. But just being out there and being able to go through a full day and a full round of batting practice and not feeling anything, that's pretty good."

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