PHILADELPHIA: It was not until Sunday that the team included the Met who had the most exciting week.
After spending a week and a half recovering from surgery on his right wrist and attending the birth of his second kid, Jeff McNeil made his way back to the clubhouse on Sunday. That meant that from the hospital’s maternity ward, McNeil watched Pete Alonso hit his game-winning home run.
“It was an experience,” McNeil said. “(My wife) said, ‘Don’t go crazy.’ They’re going to think she had the baby right there. He hit the homer, I tried to contain myself, but it was a pretty special moment.”
Since breaking his right wrist on Sunday of last month, McNeil has been absent. He has been playing baseball again for the past week, fielding groundballs and taking tee shots. He took batting practice and completed a full workout on the field on Sunday.
“I don’t have any pain there right now. It’s more just getting the range of motion back,” he said.
Although the Mets have not ruled out bringing the versatile player back for the National League Championship Series, if they keep winning in the postseason, the World Series may be a more realistic goal.
“I’m hoping for anything,” McNeil said. “I want to be ready to play. I know there are a few more steps I have to take care of in order to be ready. We’ll work on that.”
Getting at-bats against live pitching will be McNeil’s largest challenge. He has been practicing off a tee at home, then on Sunday he went to the cage for batting practice. However, the usual route to live at-bats is now blocked because the minor league season is gone.
The ideal approach for McNeil to get ready likely entails a trip to Port St. Lucie for at-bats against Mets minor-league pitchers who are training at the team’s facilities. It did not seem like McNeil would require a lot of live at-bats, and hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said that McNeil typically finds his timing more quickly than most.
McNeil would provide the Mets a much-needed left-handed bat if and when he returns. With him gone, New York has become a more right-handed team, with Brandon Nimmo being the lone everyday left-handed bat in the order. Due to his versatility, Carlos Mendoza, the manager, would have more options when it comes to his lineup. McNeil may play a corner outfield position or substitute at second base.
“He’s been a huge part of this team the whole year, he’s been in this organization for a long time. I don’t think it will be that much of a challenge (to work him back into the lineup),” Mendoza said. “It’ll play itself out.”
(Photo of Jeff McNeil taking batting practice during the London Series in June: Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
