New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil was out of the lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Washington Nationals for what manager Carlos Mendoza described as right shoulder soreness.
“It’s just the throwing,” Mendoza said. “It’s been hard for him. Give him the day, see where we’re at.”
McNeil has been dealing with this since last week, which Mendoza and the Mets tried to counteract by slotting him in as the designated hitter for Saturday and Sunday’s wins against the Seattle Mariners.
As it stands, an MRI is not expected, but if the soreness worsens in the coming days, that could obviously change.
“We don’t think it’s anything serious,” Mendoza said. “We’re not planning on taking imaging or anything like that. We’re going to put him on a medicine, and hopefully calm it down.”
McNeil’s absence comes less than 24 hours after veteran left fielder Brandon Nimmo was taken out of Wednesday night’s loss to the Nationals due to neck stiffness. While the nagging issue is also not believed to be serious, he was also out of the Mets’ lineup on Thursday after the issue did not show any signs of improvement.
McNeil has been one of the Mets’ most invaluable players this season, which can be lost in a lineup of Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso. He is slashing .259/.351/.444 (.795 OPS) with 10 home runs and 44 RBI. His 127 OPS+ is his highest mark since he was an All-Star and won a batting title in 2022.
What has set him apart this season is his continued defensive versatility, which has made him a darling in president of baseball operations David Stearns’ system. A natural second baseman, he has also played all three outfield positions, including extended time in center field to help provide an alternative outside Tyrone Taylor after Jose Siri went down with a broken leg, before New York went out and acquired Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline.
