McNeil (groin) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Phillies.
McNeil was held out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Rockies due to mild groin tightness, but he's ready to rock following Monday's team off day. The 31-year-old will start at second base and bat seventh versus the Phillies and left-hander Ranger Suarez.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Plans to play Tuesday
Rotowire
McNeil (groin) said he expects to return to the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
McNeil was on the bench for Sunday's 11-10 loss to the Rockies while he tended to a tight groin, but he felt well enough to enter the contest as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and singled in his lone at-bat before coming around to score. With a team off day Monday, McNeil looks like he'll be ready to return to a starting role Tuesday, presumably either at second base or in the corner outfield.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Tending to tight groin
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Mets manager Buck Showalter said McNeil is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies due to groin tightness, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
McNeil picked up the injury at some point during the Mets' 10-7 loss Saturday, when he went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs while playing all eight innings in the field. Eduardo Escobar will step in at second base Sunday in place of McNeil, who will get at least two full days of rest before the Mets return to action Tuesday versus the Phillies following Monday's team off day.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Not in lineup Sunday
Rotowire
McNeil is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.
McNeil will get his first game off of the 2023 season after appearing in the first 53 contests. Eduardo Escobar will give McNeil a day of rest while playing second base and hitting ninth against Austin Gomber and Colorado.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Scores three times in rout
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McNeil went 3-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and three runs scored in Thursday's 10-1 win over the Cubs.
McNeil has collected five multi-hit efforts over his last 10 games, though he had gone hitless in the last two contests. The second baseman also picked up his third steal of the season in the fifth inning before scoring on an error. He's batting a reliable .291, but he's added a modest .738 OPS with two home runs, 16 RBI and 22 runs scored through 51 games. He remains a reliable contact hitter with little pop.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: On bench Wednesday
Rotowire
McNeil is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
The Mets don't have a single left-handed hitter (not including switch hitters) in Wednesday's lineup against southpaw Josh Fleming. Eduardo Escobar is playing second base and batting second while McNeil sits.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Moved down to seventh
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McNeil will start at second base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Nationals.
The Mets are facing a lefty (Patrick Corbin) in the series finale, but the lefty-hitting McNeil usually bats fifth or sixth even against southpaws. McNeil is sporting just a .487 OPS thus far in May, so the downturn in production could explain his drop in the lineup.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Sits for first time
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McNeil will sit Saturday against the Rockies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
McNeil's off day comes against lefty Austin Gomber, but as it's his first time out of the lineup all season, there's seemingly no reason to fear that he's slipping into a platoon role. Eduardo Escobar will take over at second base.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Swipes second bag
Rotowire
McNeil went 0-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 4-0 loss to Atlanta.
The game was called after five innings due to rain, preventing McNeil from adding to his line. The 31-year-old has been on a tear, batting .405 (17-for-42) over the last 12 games and boosting his slash line on the season to .298/.416/.415 with one homer, two steals, nine RBI and 11 runs in 113 plate appearances.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Has excellent day at plate
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McNeil went 3-for-3 with one homer, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Thursday's victory over the Giants.
McNeil clobbered his first homer of the season in one of the best games he's had this year. His solo shot in the sixth inning extended New York's lead to 6-4, which he then followed up with an RBI single in the seventh. While it's still early, the California native currently has a .412 OBP, which would be a career-high mark if he can keep it up.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Three hits against Milwaukee
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McNeil went 3-for-3 in Tuesday's loss to the Brewers.
All three hits were singles, and the rest of the Mets' lineup managed only five other knocks in a 9-0 loss. McNeil is batting .292 (7-for-24) through six games to begin the season, but he has only one double, one run and two RBI to show for it as the New York offense as a whole tries to find its way out of an early funk.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Slow start in WBC
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McNeil has gone just 1-for-8 in three games for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
McNeil has struggled so far in the WBC, and he also was off to a slow start in the Grapefruit League with a .235/.278/.235 slash with zero extra-base hits in Florida. The hits aren't falling yet for the 30-year-old infielder, but after leading all of baseball with a .326 average last year and a career mark of .307, it's hard to believe McNeil won't be a contributor in that category again in 2023.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Signs extension with New York
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McNeil signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension with the Mets on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
After slashing .326/.382/.454 across 589 plate appearances last season, the reigning NL batting champion earned himself a nice raise from his $3 million salary in 2022. The deal reportedly includes a fifth-year club option, which could bump the total value of the deal up to $63.75 million.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Absent from Wednesday's lineup
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McNeil isn't starting Wednesday against Washington.
McNeil has strengthened his case for the National League batting title recently, slashing .465/.500/.651 with two home runs, two doubles, nine runs, four RBI and three walks over the last 10 games. However, he'll get a breather for Wednesday's regular-season finale while Luis Guillorme starts at the keystone and bats sixth.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Closing in on batting title
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McNeil went 3-for-8 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of the Nationals.
The Mets launched back-to-back-to-back homers to lead off the nightcap, with McNeil following Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor in that train. The 30-year-old utility player is on the verge of winning his first career batting title, as McNeil leads the NL with a .326 batting average -- well ahead of the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman at .322 with only one day left on the calendar.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Tallies three hits, including homer
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McNeil went 3-for-5 with a solo home run during Sunday's 5-3 loss to Atlanta.
McNeil connected on a solo shot off Atlanta starter Charlie Morton in the third inning while adding singles in the first and seventh to collect multiple hits for the fifth straight game. The 30-year-old is batting 11-for-21 during the stretch to boost his average from .317 to .326 -- just one point behind MLB-leader Freddie Freeman. McNeil is slashing .326/.381/.448 with eight home runs, 71 runs and 61 RBI in 145 contests.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Collects three hits
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McNeil went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI during Friday's 9-2 victory over Oakland.
McNeil singled and scored in the second and fifth innings before plating New York's final run with a double in the seventh. The utility man snapped a two-game hitless stretch with his ninth multi-hit effort of September and is slashing .317/.374/.440 with seven home runs, 66 runs and 59 RBI in 138 games on the season.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Steals fourth base
Rotowire
McNeil went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, a walk and a stolen base in a 9-3 win Sunday in Miami.
McNeil singled, stole second base and scored in the second and drove in a run in the third with another single. It was his fourth stolen base in as many attempts this year. In his last 19 contests, he has put nearly every ball in play, walking just four times and striking out only three times in 78 plate appearances. He continues to get on base regularly and is hitting .390/.417/.558 since July 30.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Swipes third bag
Rotowire
McNeil went 3-for-5 with a walk, a double, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base in a 10-0 win over the Pirates during the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader.
After picking up an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the matinee, McNeil was one of six different Mets to record multiple hits in the nightcap, chipping in his third steal of the year as well. Over his last 30 games, McNeil is slashing a blistering .361/.390/.500, but the hits haven't turned into a lot of production as he's compiled just one homer, one steal, 11 RBI and 13 runs over that stretch.
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Mets' Jeff McNeil: Tallies 50th RBI
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McNeil went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Nationals.
With a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning, McNeil tallied his 50th RBI of the campaign, and he's added 57 runs in 121 games. The total is the second baseman's highest RBI count since his breakout campaign in 2019. Additionally, his two hits on the day add to a 20-game stretch in which he has hit .382 with eight extra-base hits, all of which have been doubles.
