A play that WAS made saved the Mets, helped salvage a split in London

Also - are Jeff McNeil's days becoming numbered?

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets defeated the Phillies on Sunday by a score of 6-5 in London (Box)

• LHP Jose Quintana started for the Mets but didn’t get out of the 4th, allowing three runs on six hits, raising his season ERA to 5.29

• Trailing by one in the 9th, the Mets got RBI from Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso, and scored a third run on a passed ball to pull ahead by two

• With the game on the verge of slipping away, RHP Drew Smith induced an incredibly rare 2-2-3 double play off the bat of Nick Castellanos to secure a London series split

• Jeff McNeil collected two hits in his first start in a week

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Injury Updates 🏥

• Francisco Álvarez (thumb ligament surgery) could be activated from the injured list tomorrow

• RHP Edwin Díaz (shoulder impingement) is expected to be activated tomorrow. His line in Brooklyn on Sunday: 1 IP 0 ER 0 H 1 BB 1 K

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• C/OF Christopher Suero (Single-A): 2-for-3 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

• 3B Rylan Bannon (Triple-A): 3-for-5 1 R

BOX SCORES

Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓

The Mets are off today as they travel home from London

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What exactly is the plan with Jeff McNeil? ✍️

The most notable thing about the Mets lineup for most of the last week has been the absence of one of the team’s longest tenured players.

Prior to starting at second base in the club’s London finale yesterday, Jeff McNeil had not even participated in a game for the Mets since June 2nd, a date that correlates almost directly with the club’s promotion of veteran infielder Jose Iglesias.

Iglesias had been enjoying an excellent start to his season in Triple-A and has thrived in his first big league action since 2022, slashing .409/.435/.500 with a pair of doubles and three RBI in his first seven games with the Mets.

But his arrival, and the boost it has given the New York offense, has come directly at the expense of McNeil, whom the club had been counting on to rediscover the form that earned him a batting title just two years ago.

The 32-year-old has admittedly not looked like that same player for a while, and the start he’s gotten off to has not inspired a plethora of confidence that it’s still in there.

With his two hits on Sunday, McNeil raised his slash line to .232/.300/.324 in 207 at-bats, with only three home runs and 14 RBI.

When we’ve seen McNeil at his best, he’s consistently slashing hits all over the field, and setting the table for the team’s run producers. He doesn’t provide enough extra-base power to make an impact when he’s only hitting .232, and his lack of production really since the start of 2023 has become concerning.

His defense at second base has also noticeably declined, which is also a reason the Mets are clearly looking at alternatives.

But both manager Carlos Mendoza and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns are in their first year with the Mets. Neither was here for McNeil’s batting title campaign, and we all know decision makers have more allegiance to players they bring than the ones they inherit. I understand McNeil’s absence from the starting line-up has been explained as a mental break, and it’s worked out that the Mets have faced a lot of lefties which has made starting Iglesias more practical.

But I’m starting to wonder if there’s more to this.

With Mark Vientos hitting the ball well at third base, it was recently revealed that the team is asking Brett Baty to start taking game reps at second base in Triple-A to prepare to play the position in the big leagues if needed. That really raised my eyebrows.

We all know arguably the best Mets prospect, Luisangel Acuña, plays second base, and could likely debut later this year. The team is anxious to see if Acuna can be their long-term answer at a premium position, and he very well might be. But asking Baty to learn to play position number four jumps off the page as a short-term move, meant to help right now as an interim solution. Paired with the right-handed bat of Iglesias that is already here, and that would scream platoon to me.

But where’s that leave McNeil?

The long, lucrative contact the Mets gave McNeil runs through 2026 and includes a club option for 2027. Trading him could be challenging and require Steve Cohen to eat more money—which he’s proven he will do if necessary—but the Mets would undoubtedly find a taker to buy low on a former batting champ.

Iglesias’ immediate impact, Baty taking reps at 2nd, and Acuna’s looming arrival all impact the same player, and while McNeil can capably handle other positions, this is really starting to feel like the team is preparing for a future that doesn’t involve him.

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Around the League 🚩

• Wyatt Langford collected two hits and drove in a pair of runs in Texas’ 7-2 win over San Francisco

• Minnesota exploded for seven runs in the 10th to defeat the Pirates 11-5

• Keibert Ruiz homered and drove in four in the Nationals 8-5 home win over Atlanta

• Adley Rutschman had a huge day for Baltimore, collecting three hits, homering, and driving in six runs

• Logan O’Hoppe crushed a walk-off two run homer to earn the Angels a 9-7 win over Houston