{"id":97387,"date":"2025-03-13T11:47:40","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T15:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=97387"},"modified":"2025-03-13T11:47:40","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T15:47:40","slug":"jeff-mcneil-oblique-injury-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/03\/13\/jeff-mcneil-oblique-injury-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Mets Lose Jeff McNeil to IL as Oblique Strain Delays His Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Mets will be without another key player on Opening Day. Second baseman Jeff McNeil has a low-grade oblique strain<\/a> and will miss the start of the season, manager Carlos Mendoza announced Thursday. McNeil will be shutdown 7-10 days and the Mets expect him to miss 3-4 weeks overall. Opening Day is two weeks away.<\/p>\n

McNeil, 33, slashed .238\/.308\/.384 last year, though he was better in the second half (.923 OPS) than the first (.591 OPS). An errant pitch broke his wrist<\/a> and effectively ended his season in early September. The Mets have had a very rough spring on the injury front.<\/p>\n

Jeff McNeil Will Miss Mets Opener<\/h2>\n

McNeil’s oblique strain adds to a long list of injury problems for the Mets. New York will begin the season without starting pitchers<\/a> Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, catcher Francisco Alvarez and backup infielder Nick Madrigal. All five of those players were expected to be on the 26-man Opening Day roster.<\/p>\n

In McNeil’s absence, Brett Baty becomes a strong candidate to make the Opening Day roster. Baty could serve as the starting second baseman or a super-utility type role. Luisangel Acu\u00f1a could also start at second, but he has struggled in Grapefruit League play. Veterans Donovan Wilson and Luis De Los Santos are also candidates to make the team.<\/p>\n

Mendoza noted that the plan is for Baty to start Friday at second base, nothing that “the other guys will get reps there, too” and said he would be comfortable with Baty filling in at second base on a regular basis once the season begins.<\/p>\n

“Sure, yeah. We’re gonna see what we can do,” Mendoza said to reporters. “We’re pretty comfortable right now. The reports that we got last year when he played in Triple-A were good, and what we’ve seen so far has been good.<\/p>\n

“But again, we got three other guys in there that we feel comfortable, too. And we’ll see how that goes.”<\/p>\n

\n

Carlos Mendoza lists Luisangel Acu\u00f1a, Brett Baty, Donovan Walton, and Luis De Los Santos as options to step up with Jeff McNeil beginning the season on the IL:<\/p>\n

“Those guys that were competing for the last spot, now there’s two spots” pic.twitter.com\/zSoewRRjc6<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 SNY (@SNYtv) March 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n