Mets' Jeff McNeil: Expected to see bulk of time at 2B
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The Mets plan for McNeil to see the bulk of his playing time at second base in 2024, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
McNeil started 57 games in the outfield in 2023, but it sounds like that number probably won't be nearly as high in 2024. He missed the final weekend of the season after being diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, but Nimmo is healthy now and having a normal offseason, per Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News. McNeil was going to be playing every day regardless, but the fact that it will come at second base could impact the playing time of Brett Baty and/or Ronny Mauricio.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Still expected to avoid surgery
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Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Wednesday that McNeil had an encouraging recent checkup on his left elbow, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.
McNeil missed the final weekend of the 2023 regular season after being diagnosed with a partial UCL tear, but the expectation remains that he'll be able to avoid surgery and bring a clean bill of health into 2024. The 31-year-old seems to be responding well to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Has partial UCL tear
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Manager Buck Showalter announced Thursday that McNeil (elbow) has been diagnosed with a partial UCL tear, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
McNeil was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday afternoon with what was initially called a left elbow sprain. He is expected to avoid surgery and will try platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment with the goal of being 100 percent recovered by the beginning of spring training next February. The 31-year-old signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension with the Mets before the start of the 2023 campaign and went on to slash .270/.333/.378 with 10 homers and 10 steals in 156 games.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Shut down with elbow sprain
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The Mets placed McNeil on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a left elbow sprain.
McNeil will miss the final four games of the Mets' season, finishing with a .270/.333/.378 batting line, 10 homers, 55 RBI, 10 steals and 75 runs in 648 plate appearances. The 31-year-old is due $10.25 million next year on a contract that runs through 2026.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Day off Thursday
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McNeil is out of the lineup Thursday against the Marlins.
This looks to be a planned day of rest for McNeil as the Mets play out the string on a highly disappointing 2023 campaign. Tim Locastro is playing left field Thursday and DJ Stewart is in right. Ronny Mauricio will cover second base and bat second.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Sitting nightcap
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McNeil isn't in the Mets' lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Miami, Anthony DiComo of MLB.comreports.
McNeil will get a breather to close out Wednesday's activities after going 1-for-4 with an RBI during Game 1. Brandon Nimmo, Rafael Ortega and DJ Stewart will start across the Mets' outfield while McNeil sits.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Homer shy of cycle
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McNeil went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI, two runs scored and a steal in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Phillies.
McNeil wound up a homer shy of a cycle Thursday, as he tallied multiple hits for the third time in his last four games. He's also gone seven straight games without striking out, going 10-for-28 (.357) in that span. McNeil's slash line is now up to .271/.334/.381 through 631 plate appearances this season with 10 homers, 75 runs scored, 54 RBI and a career-high 10 steals.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Swats ninth homer
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McNeil went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's win over the Diamondbacks.
Shifting back to second base with rookie Ronny Mauricio (illness) sidelined, McNeil got hold of a Merrill Kelly fastball and lofted it over the right-field fence in the fifth inning. The 31-year-old is up to nine homers on the season, but three of them have come in September -- a month in which McNeil is so far slashing .277/.320/.532 through 51 plate appearances.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Three hits, homer Monday
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McNeil went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's loss against the Diamondbacks.
McNeil got the Mets on the board in the fourth inning with a homer of Zach Davies, his eighth of the year. While it's been a down year for McNeil overall, he's hit well down the stretch, batting .309 (47-for-152) with five homers, four steals and a .806 OPS in 38 games since the start of August. On the season, he's slashing .268/.333/.367 with 67 runs scored and 50 RBI through 588 plate appearances.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Swipes bag in loss
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McNeil went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Twins.
McNeil singled in his first at-bat before swiping his first bag since Aug. 26. He would then come around to score on a Daniel Vogelbach single as the Mets jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. The second baseman registered multiple hits in two of his first three games to open September but has gone just 2-for-15 at the plate since then (spanning four games).
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Keeps racking up hits
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McNeil went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Atlanta.
Last year's batting champ has returned to form in August, hitting safely in seven straight games and slashing .337/.375/.472 on the month with three homers, two steals, 13 RBI and 15 runs in 22 contests. McNeil continues to mainly play second base, but if the Mets give prospect Ronny Mauricio a look in September, the 31-year-old could shift to a corner outfield spot more frequently.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Three hits in Sunday's win
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McNeil went 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI in Sunday's win over Atlanta.
The 31-year-old has had a difficult season -- one of many on the Mets -- but McNeil appears to be regaining the form that led him to a batting title in 2022. He's slashing .314/.375/.451 so far in August with a double, two homers, five RBI and nine runs through 13 games, numbers right in line with his performance last year.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Connects on fourth homer
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McNeil went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Orioles.
McNeil accounted for most of the damage on the day against Orioles starter Kyle Gibson, who allowed only four hits and three earned runs over seven innings before turning the game over to the bullpen. The home run was McNeil's fourth of the season and helped lift his batting average up to .253. With Brandon Nimmo resting in Sunday's series finale, McNeil will start in left field and handle leadoff duties.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Sits amid slump
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McNeil is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Brewers.
Danny Mendick will play second base and bat ninth versus the Brewers and left-hander Wade Miley as McNeil grabs some pine in the midst of a 1-for-21 rut. Tommy Pham is in left field and hitting fifth for the host Mets.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Good to go Sunday
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McNeil (wrist) is starting at second base and batting seventh Sunday against the Phillies.
McNeil was held out of the lineup Saturday due to soreness in his left wrist, but it was apparently a minor issue since he's back in the starting nine a day later. The 31-year-old has a .555 OPS in June and has especially struggled over his past six games, going 2-for-20.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Dealing with wrist soreness
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McNeil is not in the Mets' lineup Saturday against Philadelphia due to a sore left wrist, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
McNeil reportedly suffered the injury during Friday's contest and it's unknown whether or not he'll be available off the bench Saturday. Luis Guillorme will fill in at second base in the meantime, and McNeil should be considered day-to-day until the Mets offer more information.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Day off Saturday
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McNeil isn't in the Mets' lineup Saturday against the Phillies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
McNeil is currently in an 0-for-10 stretch at the plate across his last three games, so he'll take a day off Saturday to regroup. Luis Guillorme will fill in at second base and bat eighth.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Homers in loss
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McNeil went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 2-1 loss against the Pirates.
McNeil provided the Mets' lone run Sunday with a solo shot off Mitch Keller to lead off the fourth inning. It's McNeil's third home run of the year and his first since May 1. The reigning NL batting champ had been struggling at the plate, going 4-for-24 (.167) in his last six games. Overall, McNeil is slashing .274/.351/.354 with 30 runs scored and 18 RBI through 269 plate appearances on the season.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Ropes double in win Friday
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McNeil went 1-for-4 with one double and one run scored in Friday's loss to the Pirates.
McNeil doubled in his first at-bat of the game, and with it recorded just his second extra-base hit since April 27. McNeil had been dealing with a groin injury for the past two weeks, but he seems to be fully healthy once again. The reigning National League batting champion has fallen off a bit from last season, sporting a .278 batting average go to with a .354 on-base percentage.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Returns to lineup Tuesday
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McNeil (groin) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Phillies.
McNeil was held out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Rockies due to mild groin tightness, but he's ready to rock following Monday's team off day. The 31-year-old will start at second base and bat seventh versus the Phillies and left-hander Ranger Suarez.
