The Mets may be getting a couple of their offensive stalwarts back sooner rather than later.
Second baseman Jeff McNeil is beginning a rehab assignment with Single-A Brooklyn on Sunday, where he is expected to get two or three at-bats at the plate and play around five innings, manager Luis Rojas said prior to Sunday’s series finale with the San Diego Padres.
McNeil, 29, was placed on the injured list on May 17 with a hamstring strain after dealing with leg cramps for several games prior to the strain.
The Santa Barbara, Calif. native has progressed well and general manager Zack Scott said on Friday that they expect McNeil to return this upcoming weekend.
The four-year MLB veteran has appeared in 32 games for New York so far this season and owns a triple slash of .242/.336/.374 with a 106 wRC+ and .318 wOBA.
Trailing Jeff McNeil is Michael Conforto, who ran the bases on Saturday at “95-100 percent,” according to manager Luis Rojas.
Rojas added that Conforto, 28, could begin a rehab assignment earlier this week. The outfielder had planned to talk to Rojas this morning to see what the next steps would be, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.
“I’m getting the itch,” Conforto said.
The Seattle, Washington native has been worth 0.3 fWAR through 34 games with the Mets this season. Like McNeil, Conforto was placed on the injured list on May 17 with a strained hamstring.
The outfielder owns a .230/.356/.336 triple slash, a 106 wRC+ and .317 wOBA.
Having both McNeil and Conforto back would give the team nearly a fully healthy lineup, with just Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Davis on the sidelines.
It doesn’t appear either Nimmo or Davis are close to returning, however, as they are currently just beginning to take dry swings, which means no baseballs are involved, manager Luis Rojas said on Sunday.
