WASHINGTON New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil, the National League batting champion two years ago, was benched on Tuesday for the third time in five games and for the second straight night.
The Mets’ first-year manager Carlos Mendoza and new president of baseball operations David Stearns have made a few attempts to turn things around for the team after a poor season (26-35). They made a number of changes last week to improve their roster’s floor and foster competition, including switching up batting orders, cutting players from their rotation, and rearranging bullpen positions. They are currently facing second base, where they have produced better than only three other teams, with a fWAR of 0.0.
Generally speaking, veteran players say they can get in trouble thinking that because they’ve been around a long time, they’re untouchable. That’s not the case. The Mets’ brass has made that clear. And from the perspective of some players in the Mets’ clubhouse, that’s OK. It’s fair.
Some more seasoned players believe Mendoza has done a good job handling things, including benching McNeil. On Monday, Mendoza (and probably several times prior) visited with McNeil. Mendoza meets with players frequently and makes an effort to communicate, so the move was probably not too shocking. Few options were left by McNeil’s findings.
McNeil’s on-base percentage after 224 plate appearances is just.616. His current batting average is.227, a significant decline from the.326 he held as the major league leader in 2022. He is hitting too many pop-ups in the infield, too many fly balls, and not enough line drives. He batted.156 during the Mets’ ten-game homestand, going 5-for-32 with one double and one extra-base hit. McNeil’s problems go even further back to the previous season, when he hit.270 and recorded an OPS of.711. McNeil has minus-3 outs above average on defense. It was time for a change of pace.
“Look, McNeil is still our second baseman,” Mendoza said. “For us to get to where we want to get, we are going to need Jeff McNeil to be the player we all know he is capable of.
“He’s going to be a big part of this team moving forward.”
Mendoza was unsure about whether McNeil would start on Wednesday before the Mets defeated the Washington Nationals 6-3 on Tuesday to win two games in a row. Patrick Corbin, the Nationals’ third consecutive lefty starter, is expected to be thrown. Trevor Williams, a right-hander, was scratched by the Nationals on Tuesday and was replaced by lefty DJ Herz. Mendoza will not confirm if left-handed hitter McNeil was originally in the lineup on Tuesday.
The Mets called up veteran right-handed hitter Jose Iglesias last week, and he has been starting in McNeil’s place for the past few days. Though his defense is his primary skill, 34-year-old Iglesias is off to a fast start. He is 6-for-15 with the Mets and has contributed some good vibes. He has noted how, having not played in the main leagues since 2022, he feels like a rookie all over again. He saved the ball after his first hit with the Mets last week and said that he would put it inside his home, where other mementos from his previous professional career are maintained.
In the meantime, the Mets hope McNeil figures things out and the time away from the lineup helps him get on track.
But inside the Mets’ clubhouse, the decision to bench McNeil was met with a level of understanding. After all, it was just last week when the club held a players’ only meeting and discussed a stronger appetite for accountability.
Mendoza placed a high priority on developing relationships with his players during the offseason and spring training. For a struggling team like the Mets, tough talks might have come sooner, but they were always going to happen.
“You want to make sure that you earn their respect as well,” Mendoza said, “so when you do have to have these conversations — they’re not easy conversations — they understand where you’re coming from.”
(Photo of McNeil: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
