WASHINGTON — Jeff McNeil looked to be on a roll in the Mets’ last outing, but he’s been benched as of late.
The struggling second baseman, who was just 5-for-32 (.156 batting average) during the homestand, sat on the bench when the Mets opened a three-game series against the Nationals on Monday.
It was the second time in four games that Jose Iglesias started in place of McNeil, but unlike the previous game, manager Carlos Mendoza did not express a desire to give McNeil a rest.
“We’re going to give Jeff another day to continue to work on some things and get back on track,” Mendoza said at Nationals Park.
What kind?
“Impact the ball,” Mendoza said. “Hit the line drive. I think the ball’s going up a little too high. He’s a guy that won batting titles hitting line drive from line drive to line drive, and right now we’re not seeing that consistently. You’ve got a couple of games where you’re like, ‘OK, he’s back,’ and then you’re just swinging and whiffing at the ball. I want him to get a grip on the ball and hit the line drive like he’s made out to be.”
McNeil hit his second consecutive home run in a game at Cleveland two weeks ago and went 7 for 23 (.304 batting average), but since then he has only had one extra base hit and has not had a multi-hit game.
The fact that the Nationals’ starting pitcher was left-hander MacKenzie Gore likely influenced Mendoza’s decision.
However, McNeil has been disappointing against left-handed and right-handed pitchers alike this season.
Against right-handed pitchers, he had an OPS of .618, and against left-handed pitchers, he had an OPS of .613. Overall, he had a disappointing batting average of .227/.296/.320 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.
The Mets designated Iglesias for assignment from Triple-A Syracuse before Friday’s game and are still evaluating the veteran pitcher who drew praise for an infield single in the ninth inning of a one-sided game Saturday.
Iglesias hit the ball to extend the inning and give the Mets three runs.
“[Iglesias] “It gives us a little bit of flexibility, especially with guys going through tough times,” Mendoza said. “It’s important to have flexibility and it’s good to have guys that can play multiple positions.”
Mendoza did not comment on the possibility of a platoon between McNeil and Iglesias.
“when [McNeil] “When he’s on a roll, it doesn’t matter who’s on the mound,” Mendoza said. “When he’s on a roll, he’s pretty strong against lefties. When he’s on a roll… this isn’t strictly a right-handed versus left-handed matchup. It’s just about getting Jeff back on track. Right now, he’s working on something.”
McNeil remains one of the hardest hitters to strike out in MLB — striking out just 11.2 percent of his plate appearances this season — but his metrics for making solid contact are low in every category.
Mendoza said that although he is an emotional player, he understands McNeill’s decision to start Iglesias in his place.
“I know he’s going to get emotional when things aren’t going well,” Mendoza said, “but he’s going to continue to work hard. That’s what we’ve seen. He’s out there. He’s battling. He’s playing hard.”
