NEW YORK — The Mets left the ballpark Friday night expecting to be without Jeff McNeil for maybe a day or two with a bruised wrist. But Saturday morning they received surprising news: They would be without the 2022 National League batting champ for the rest of the regular season.
McNeil was hit on the right wrist with a pitch by Cincinnati Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson on Friday night. X-rays showed a fracture in McNeil’s left wrist. It’s a small fracture, but enough of one to keep him out for 4-6 weeks.
“Huge, huge blow with the way he’s been playing since a couple weeks before the All-Star Break,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday at Citi Field. “He’s been a huge reason why we got to this position. But everybody deals with injuries and guys will continue to step up.”
The Mets played shorthanded against the Reds on Saturday since they only found out the results of McNeil’s imaging earlier in the morning. Jose Iglesias will become the primary second baseman for the rest of the month with September call-up Pablo Reyes getting time in the infield as well.
They have only one healthy infielder playing for Triple-A Syracuse who is currently on the 40-man roster, Luisangel Acuña. However, they seem to be leaning more toward calling up outfielder DJ Stewart to replace McNeil’s left-handed bat. Acuña bats right-handed, as does infielder Luke Ritter, who has played well for Syracuse as of late. However, the Mets would have to make a 40-man move for Ritter.
Brett Baty is out for the remainder of the season with a broken finger and Ronny Mauricio has been out all season after undergoing two knee surgeries since December.
None of those players offer the positional versatility that McNeil offers as a solid defensive second baseman who can play both corner outfield spots at a high level as well.
“We’re having those conversations,” Mendoza said. “Whether we want to bring in someone like Acuña, or do we want to go with a lefty bat? Those are some of the things that we’re discussing now.”
McNeil had a maddeningly slow start to his season, but turned it around right before the All-Star break. The former Long Beach State Dirtbag hit .289 with a .923 OPS with seven home runs and 13 walks over the second half of the season, playing second base, left field and right field.
Williamson’s pitch wasn’t especially hard and it hit his wrist guard. McNeil was able to remain in the game after the fifth-inning plunk, but later left after it began to swell.
“I got hit with a 73 mile per hour curveball on a guard that I wear for that reason,” McNeil said. “I didn’t think anything of it. When I got hit, I went back to the dugout and was telling the coaching staff, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ It barely hit me. It didn’t hurt, so I’m definitely shocked.”
Shocked and disappointed.
Last year, McNeil’s season ended a few games early after he was diagnosed with a partially-torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left, non-throwing elbow. He had a bicep issue in spring training that limited him and was part of the reason the 32-year-old hit just .216 in his first 323 plate appearances this season.
“I was able to kind of be myself the last two-three months, so I wanted to finish the season strong,” McNeil said. “It’s unfortunate this is what it is.”
Mendoza said he was “very proud” of the way McNeil was able to produce after struggling through the early months of the season. There is some hope that McNeil could return if the Mets make a deep playoff run, but nothing is guaranteed. McNeil said he will seek a second opinion, but as of right now, his wrist is too swollen to swing.
Without baseball or golf, the “Squirrel” will have to find a new hobby for the time being.
“Fantasy football,” he said. “We’ll see.”
