The New York Mets and president of baseball operations David Stearns has shown an affinity for having a short leash and Jeff McNeil is the latest to experience that.
For a third-straight game on Wednesday, the Mets benched Jeff McNeil amid a miserable start to the 2024 season. Just two years removed from a batting title, the 32-year-old left-hander is batting a paltry .227 with a .616 OPS across 203 at-bats.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said on Tuesday that the benching provided an opportunity to “work on some of the things and get back on track.” Most notably, it is getting back to the basics of hitting line drives — once the calling card of a player who hit .326 in 2022.
“I think he’s lifting the ball a little bit too much,” the skipper said. “This is a guy that won a batting title by hitting line drives from line to line but right now we’re not seeing that consistently. He’s [had] stretches for couple of games where you see, ‘Ok, he’s back,’ and then he goes some games where like, ‘Alright, he’s just missing pitches.’
“So that’s basically it. Want him to square baseballs and hit line drives the way we all know he’s capable of.”
Jose Iglesias, recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, got his third straight start in McNeil’s place.
The second baseman is the latest struggling Met to be shown the bench, though others have been shown the exit. When Adrian Houser struggled in the starting rotation, he was quickly demoted to the bullpen. When infielder Joey Wendle and catcher Omar Narvaez failed to provide the depth they were relied upon for, they were designated for assignment. So was reliever Jorge Lopez after his glove-throwing outburst against the Los Angeles Dodgers last week.
Brett Baty, who was supposed to run away with the starting third-base job this year, was sent down to Triple-A as he continues his struggles to find consistency at the MLB level.
This is a leadership regime that is holding its players accountable, which is something the organization has not done in decades while wading through the waters of mediocrity. The message is clear: Perform or Stearns will find someone who will.
