When New York Mets — funny, he’s still a utility man, isn’t he? — anyway, when Jeff McNeil came out of the game on August 13 at Atlanta with a left hamstring injury, many feared the worst for arguably one of the most important cogs in this late-season drive towards an unlikely postseason berth.
The collective sigh of relief from anyone with a rooting interest in the Metropolitans when McNeil, 27, was diagnosed with a strained hammy, nothing more, and was on pace to return after his 10-day stint on the injured list was palpable.
After a simple update of “I feel good” from McNeil on August 21 (quote via Tim Healey of Newsday), the Nipomo, CA product made his return to the team on August 24, going 2-for-2 with a double after being double-switched into the game in the seventh inning of a 9-5 loss to the Braves at Citi Field.
From the time of his return through the Mets’ 5-2 loss to the Phils at Citizens Bank Park on September 1, McNeil went a combined 5-for-27 with three extra-base hits (two doubles and a homer), three strikeouts and, not all that uncharacteristically, no walks.
A .185/.214/.370 slash line over 28 plate appearances — no matter the sample size — is a practically-unheard-of stretch for a player who’s carrying a .326/.388/.508 career line into Saturday night’s tilt with the Phillies in Queens.
Whispers of 27-year-old possibly returning too early from his injury were growing to a steady hum by the time he hit his two-run homer off Washington’s Joe Ross in Monday afternoon’s win. The clear look of relief as McNeil rounded the bases on Labor Day gave hope that the Mets’ sparkplug was close to regaining his form.
Since then, McNeil’s summarily supported that theory. Including Monday’s win over the Nats, McNeil’s gone 5-for-his-last-17 with two homers, no strikeouts, and two walks. I’d say he’s back at 100 percent, folks.
McNeil’s RBI single in the first, walk and subsequential run scored in the eighth — making it a 4-2 game in favor of New York — and his rally-continuing hit-by-pitch in the ninth (his 19th HBP of the year, tied for third in MLB) were instrumental in securing the Mets a much-needed win on Friday night in Flushing.
With just four games separating themselves and the second wild-card in the National League and 22 games remaining, these days, the stakes are substantially raised.
A healthy and raking Jeff McNeil — who, as a ballplayer, seems tailor-made for this time of year — helps that cause considerably.
