The New York Mets’ All-Star utility player Jeff McNeil will miss the remainder of the 2024 regular season after suffering a wrist fracture in Friday’s 6-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
McNeil was hurt in the fifth inning after a pitch from Brandon Williamson hit him in the wrist. He initially stayed in the game but was unable to make it through and was pulled out in the sixth.
Speaking with reporters on Saturday, Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza said that McNeil will likely miss four to six weeks recovering. He likely won’t require surgery.
“Not good, the MRI this morning showed a wrist fracture, he’s likely done for the year,” Mendoza said. “Huge blow. … The way he’s been playing the past two months all the way to this point, he’s been a huge reason, one of the reasons, why we got to this position.”
McNeil is batting .238 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs in 129 games. While this is below his usual standards, he did catch fire after the All-Star break and has been hitting .289 since.
Losing McNeil comes at the worst possible moment for the Mets. The New York team is currently in the midst of a playoff chase, being tied with the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild-card spot at 78-64. The encouraging thing for them is that they are on the run, winning nine out of their last 10 games.
