New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil had a big game in his team's 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday. McNeil went 2-for-3 with a homer, two runs, two RBI, and a walk to help power the Mets to the win over their crosstown rivals. The veteran infielder's homer came in the sixth inning and broke a 1-1 tie, giving the Mets a lead that they would not give back. McNeil is now hitting .225 with nine homers, 40 runs, 32 RBI, and five steals over 311 at-bats this season. He has been swinging a hot bat of late, hitting .364 with four homers and 11 RBI over his past seven games. McNeil is worth a spot in fantasy starting lineups while he is on a hot streak.
New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil swatted his eighth homer in Monday's 6-4 over the Marlins. McNeil connected on a two-run shot off Marlins starter Yonny Chirinos in the top of the second inning, his third in his last four games, finishing 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly that gave him a third RBI. He has hit half of his season's total in July and is now slashing .221/.278/.344 with 30 RBI and 38 runs scored. Fantasy managers hope his recent power surge will continue as McNeil slowly works out of his season-long batting skid.
New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil continued to bounce back in Friday night's loss to the division-rival Miami Marlins, swatting two home runs with three RBI in a losing effort. After hitting a solo shot off Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera to straightaway center field to cut the Mets' deficit to 4-1 in the fifth inning, McNeil blasted his second homer of the game to cut New York's deficit to 5-4 in the sixth frame. It's not a particularly large sample size, but the 32-year-old former batting champion is starting to peek out from the doldrums while batting .303 (10-for-33) with three big flies, three doubles, eight RBI, and one stolen base over his last 12 games. On the strong side of a platoon at the keystone with the righty-hitting Jose Iglesias, McNeil is worth considering in NL-only fantasy leagues with his bat finally starting to heat up.
New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil will take a seat on the bench on Friday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field with left-hander Shota Imanaga on the mound. Given McNeil's struggles this year, he's now fallen into the strong side of a platoon at the keystone in New York with veteran Jose Iglesias, who is at second and batting eighth on Friday against Imanaga. McNeil is hitting just .219/.286/.305 with three home runs, 15 RBI, three stolen bases and 27 runs scored in 233 at-bats in 2024. He's actually been better against left-handers, going 18-for-72 (.250) against them with one of his three home runs, while he's batting .205 against right-handers. The two-time All-Star has taken a hard fall this year after winning a batting title in 2022 with the Mets.
Harrison Bader, Jeff McNeil Resting Against Phillies
New York Mets outfielder Harrison Bader and second baseman Jeff McNeil are both sitting out of Tuesday's contest against the visiting division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. With both players starting on the bench, Tyrone Taylor will start in center field and bat seventh, while Joey Wendle will man the keystone and bat eighth against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola. Bader has gone 7-for-30 (.233) in 10 games in the month of May and is slashing a mediocre .265/.314/.319 with a homer, seven RBI and five steals in 113 at-bats on the year. McNeil is hitting just .230 on the season and has hit .191 (8-for-42) in 11 games so far in May. Neither Taylor nor Wendle will be very attractive DFS plays on Tuesday in a tough matchup against Nola. Taylor is hitting .400 with an RBI against Nola in his career, but in just five at-bats, while Wendle is hitting .250 with an RBI in 12 at-bats against Nola.
New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil is on the bench for Monday's contest against the Detroit Tigers. McNeil went just 1-for-11 over the weekend in the three-game sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers to begin the season, so the Mets are giving McNeil a day off early to regroup. It's not a great sign for the two-time All-Star after he hit .270/.333/.378 a year after winning the National League batting title in 2022. With the 31-year-old on the bench to start the game on Monday, Joey Wendle will take over at second base for the Mets and will hit ninth against Tigers young right-hander Reese Olson. Wendle is more useful for his infield versatility and is a long shot to deliver meaningful offensive numbers in DFS on Monday.
New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil is starting at the keystone and batting cleanup for the Mets on Opening Day on Thursday against Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta. McNeil isn't your typical cleanup hitter with mediocre power, but if he sticks in this position regularly against right-handed pitching, it will give him more opportunities for RBI with Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso hitting in front of him. It's a batting order for New York that probably won't last too long once veteran designated hitter J.D. Martinez gets up to speed after signing with the team late in spring training. The 31-year-old McNeil won a batting title in 2022 but disappointed last year and is still dealing with a partially torn UCL that he's playing through. Aside from a useful batting average, McNeil isn't a lock to help with much else.
Jeff McNeil Making Grapefruit League Debut Tuesday
New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil (biceps) is making his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday night versus the St. Louis Cardinals, starting at second base and batting cleanup. The Mets have held McNeil out of big-league spring training action up to this point as he was dealing with left-biceps soreness earlier in camp that was related to the partial tear of his UCL from last year. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter will continue to serve as New York's starting second baseman, which gives him fantasy value in mixed leagues, but outside of a solid batting average floor, McNeil doesn't contribute all that much. McNeil is ranked as RotoBaller's No. 29 fantasy second baseman after slashing a disappointing .270/.333/.378 with 10 home runs, 55 RBI, 10 steals and 75 runs scored in 585 at-bats in 2023.
Jeff McNeil To Make Grapefruit League Debut On Tuesday
New York Mets second baseman/outfielder Jeff McNeil (biceps) will make his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday after missing time due to left biceps discomfort. McNeil will play five innings in a minor league game on Sunday in preparation for his debut on Tuesday. He is expected to be ready for opening day on March 28th when the Mets host the Milwaukee Brewers. The 31-year-old looks to continue to be an important piece to the Mets' lineup after a down year, by his standards, in 2023. He'll look to improve on his .270/.333/.378 slash line from last season and is projected for a .280/.341/.394 slash line in 2024. With a current ADP of 255.7, McNeil will likely only provide value to fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil (biceps) could play in a Grapefruit League game by Sunday, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. If he doesn't play by Sunday, McNeil should play in a game by next Tuesday. The 31-year-old is scheduled to play defense on Thursday in a minor-league game before facing live pitching in a batting practice session on Friday. The Mets have slow-played McNeil in camp this spring due to issues associated with the partial tear of his UCL that he suffered last year. McNeil is expected to be ready by Opening Day, but his elbow/biceps issue should be a concern after the poor quality of contact he displayed in 2023. He still makes a lot of contact and rarely strikes out, but McNeil doesn't offer much more than a solid batting average in fantasy.
