Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil is expected to miss the remainder of the season after he suffered a fractured right wrist during Friday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.
McNeil was hit by a pitch square on the wrist as he attempted to move out on the way on a bunt attempt in the bottom of the fifth and he was forced to be lifted for a pinch hitter an inning later.
The team originally called him day-to-day with a wrist contusion, but they were sending him for further imaging on Saturday, which unfortunately confirmed the worst.
“Frustrating,” he said. “This isn’t how you want to end the season, I ended the season last year hurt as well, so it is kind of unfortunate. I want to be out there with the guys, this team has done so much and I just want to help contribute, but we have a good group of guys in there who can get it done.”
While we certainly won’t be seeing him anytime soon, McNeil didn’t close the door on a potential return if the Mets were to make a deep postseason run, as the initial timeline calls for a four-to-six week recovery.
“If you see me on the field again that’d be a really good thing,” he said. “I want to say I can comeback and help and contribute but we have to see how it heals in the next few weeks, and then it would be a pain management type of thing.”
After a bit of a down year, McNeil got off to a slow start this season, and he found himself relegated into more of a platoon role after hitting just .216 and posting a .591 OPS during the first-half.
The one-time batting champ made some changes to his approach during the break, and the results have paid off, as he had been an absolute force amid the Mets’ turnaround over the past few months.
McNeil tapped into more of his power with 12 doubles and seven homers during the second-half to go along with a .290 average and an impressive .920 OPS across his final 41 games.
He’s also been a tremendous asset defensively as well, providing his usual stellar defense at second base and both corner outfield positions.
“It’s a huge blow, for us” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s been a tough year for him but I’m proud of him. The way he was playing before the All-Star break and right up until this point, he’s been one of the reasons we’re in the position we are. It’s a tough loss for us, but everybody deals with injuries and guys will continue to step up.”
Mendoza said the team will play short on Saturday having just received the news, but they expect to add someone to the roster in place of McNeil prior to the series finale.
