McNeil, who missed time last season with a wrist fracture, is coming off his worst campaign since 2021 with a career-low .238 batting average over 472 plate appearances. The 2022 National League batting champion will now face an uphill climb to rebound in 2025.
McNeil’s injury could allow young infielders Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuna to make the Opening Day roster. Moreover, one wonders whether these injuries could have enabled fan-favorite infielder Jose Iglesias, who helped spark New York’s 2024 run to the National League Championship Series, to return this season. Iglesias recently signed with the San Diego Padres.
McNeil joins Alvarez, infielder Nick Madrigal (left shoulder fracture), and pitchers Sean Manaea (oblique), Frankie Montas (lat) and A.J. Minter (recovering from 2024 hip surgery) on the shelf to begin 2025. However, the Mets did at least receive good news on Manaea and Minter, as the former is now cleared to start throwing, while the latter is already pitching in spring training again.
We’ll soon find out how deep this Mets roster is. This is especially true after President of Baseball Operations David Stearns recently touted his club’s roster construction, claiming that New York is “built to withstand” this wave of injuries.
They had better be because, with the arrival of superstar outfielder Juan Soto, there is no time to waste.
