The Mets have been without infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil for over a month now, as he fractured his wrist in early September and has been out of action since. But he could be nearing a return to the club, per Tim Healey of Newsday on X. McNeil is going to play in the Arizona Fall League on Friday and Saturday with manager Carlos Mendoza hoping for McNeil to play a full nine-inning game on both of those days.
During the regular season, it’s routine for injured players to join a minor league club as part of a rehab assignment, spending a few days or weeks getting back into game shape before being activated from the IL. But the minor league seasons have all been completed by this time of year, so the AFL will have to do. The competition tends to be a mixed bag, as some top prospects will be involved but clubs also often send guys who missed a lot of time due to injury and need reps to play catch-up. A full overview of the rosters was recently provided by Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo in a piece for MLB.com.
In the meantime, the Mets will be trying to get through the Phillies and move on to the NLCS. They are currently up 2-1 in the series and could finish the series tonight. If the Phils emerge victorious in game four, the fifth game is scheduled for Friday. If the Mets eventually win the NLDS, they would square off against either the Padres or Dodgers in the NLCS starting on Sunday.
If McNeil is able to showcase his health by then, and the Mets are still alive, the club will have to make some decisions about their NLCS roster and playing time. Luisangel Acuña has only received two plate appearances in the playoffs so far, striking out both times, and could perhaps be the logical guy to be left off next round’s roster.
The more interesting question might be how McNeil is used once on the roster. He won the batting title in 2022 but has been roughly league average at the plate over the past two years. He’s hit .257/.323/.381 since the start of 2023 for a wRC+ of 99.
He got out to a rough start this year, hitting .217/.278/.306 through the end of June for a wRC+ of 69. He then caught fire for a couple of months, hitting .271/.353/.506 for a 140 wRC+ from July until he was hit by a pitch and suffered his fracture.
Getting that red-hot version of McNeil back on the field would be great but it’s also possible there will be some rust after his layoff. Jose Iglesias took over the second base job and had a great season, hitting…
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