Jeff McNeil’s first start of spring training allowed the Mets and first-year manager Carlos Mendoza to put forth a lineup that could resemble the starting nine on Opening Day next week.
McNeil, who was sidelined for much of the exhibition season with a biceps injury, batted fourth and went 0-for-2 featuring a trademark 11-pitch walk and a towering fly ball that flirted with a grand slam but fell short at the warning track. He played five innings in total during the Mets’ 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
“I feel good. I’ve batted there before,” McNeil said (h/t SNY). “Wherever I hit in the lineup — I know I bounced around a lot last year — wherever they put me, I’m happy for it.”
With the start of the 2024 season quickly approaching, the 31-year-old lefty will have to ramp up quickly to get fully ready for the rigors of a 162-game season as the Mets’ starting second baseman. Such a concept does not seem all too daunting for him, though.
“Sometimes the fewer at-bats could be beneficial,” McNeil said. “You don’t get those bad thoughts, bad habits. You just kind of let your natural ability take over and roll into the season. I’ve always succeeded well early and with live batting practice, stuff like that… we’ll see what happens.”
McNeil admitted that getting into big-league spring training games “will be key” but jumping into the back fields at Port St. Lucie for minor-league games remains a viable option for conditioning purposes. He got the day off for New York’s game Wednesday against the Miami Marlins but is expected to get back into the lineup on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers.
A healthy version of the 2022 MLB batting champion will be vital for the Mets’ postseason hope to help lengthen their lineup. McNeil regressed mightily last season, his average dropping from .326 two years ago to .270 while his OPS shrunk from .836 to .711. Much of that is believed to be a result of a partially torn UCL that he was dealing with all last year which ultimately prompted the Mets to shut him down in early September.
He received platelet-rich plasma injections to avoid surgery during the winter and reported to spring training feeling relatively good before being shut down from hitting earlier this month due to soreness in that left biceps during a batting cage session.
