New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil has been shut down with a minor oblique strain and ruled out for Opening Day.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Thursday there’s a chance McNeil, who won the 2022 National League batting title, won’t return for a month.
“Right oblique, it’s low-grade,” Mendoza said. “He came in, was sore. We gave him 24 hours. Yesterday, same thing. … He’s probably going to be down seven to 10 days with no baseball activities and then we’ll reassess.”
Mendoza said he was told a window of three to four weeks before McNeil is “symptom free” is a reasonable expectation.
A two-time All-Star, the 32-year-old McNeil struggled last season, hitting .238 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs.
Mendoza did pencil in Brandon Nimmo for Thursday’s spring training game after the outfielder was out for the past 13 days with knee discomfort. After an MRI exam revealed no structural damage, Nimmo received a gel injection.
