Mets second baseman/outfielder Jeff McNeil needed to go away Friday’s recreation after being hit by a pitch on his proper wrist, and assessments revealed a wrist fracture, as supervisor Carlos Mendoza informed the New York Post’s Joel Sherman and different reporters Saturday. McNeil shall be sidelined for the following 4 to 6 weeks, so he’ll miss the remainder of the common season and probably the playoffs until the Mets attain the postseason and make a deep run.
McNeil shall be positioned on the 15-day injured listing in some unspecified time in the future over the weekend, however the official information of the damage got here shut sufficient to the Mets’ 4:10 p.m. ET begin time that Mendoza mentioned the crew will play a person quick in opposition to the Reds on Saturday. Jose Iglesias figures to take over second base for the rest of the season, and Mendoza mentioned infield prospect Luisangel Acuna is among the candidates to be referred to as as much as take McNeil’s spot on the energetic roster.
New York is correct within the thick of the wild-card race, sitting in a tie with Atlanta for the third and remaining NL wild-card slot but in addition inside three video games of San Diego for the primary wild-card place. Passing any of the Braves, Padres or Diamondbacks shall be so much trickier for the Mets with no lineup common like McNeil, who has gotten the majority of time at second base this season whereas additionally enjoying at each nook outfield slots.
McNeil will end his 2024 season with a .238/.308/.384 slash line and 12 house runs over 472 plate appearances, translating to a 98 wRC+ that matches his seesaw of a yr. Hitting simply .214/.271/.308 over his first 300 PA, McNeil’s bat lastly caught hearth in July, and he proceeded to hit .294/.368/.566 in his subsequent 163 PA earlier than cooling off once more in September. McNeil has remained considered one of baseball’s hardest hitters to strike out, however not a lot of his contact has resulted in hard-hit balls, and a .256 BABIP additionally hasn’t helped his trigger.
It’s attainable McNeil’s numbers may very well be associated to the partial UCL tear in his left elbow that was revealed close to the top of final season, however McNeil solely obtained a PRP shot moderately than surgical procedure and was capable of be a part of the Mets’ Opening Day lineup. Or, it may very well be {that a} historically soft-contact hitter like McNeil is reliant on batted-ball luck to be particularly productive on the plate, and it isn’t any shock that his finest seasons have concerned BABIPs all north of the .330 mark. When McNeil isn’t discovering holes within the discipline, he has been nearer to a league-average bat, as evidenced by the 99 wRC+ he has posted because the begin of the 2023 season.
This downturn adopted the signing of McNeil’s four-year, $50M contract extension, so the Mets haven’t gotten what they have been anticipating following McNeil’s All-Star season in 2022. Nevertheless, as a left-handed hitting who can play a number of positions, McNeil has nonetheless been a helpful participant to have as an everyday a part of the lineup, and his absence forces New York to fill a few holes. Iglesias has been wonderful in part-time obligation this season and now faces an additional problem in an on a regular basis function, whereas Tyrone Taylor and Jesse Winker determine to get extra outfield time.
