Jupiter, Florida — When Jeff McNeil will see live pitching is still unknown.
He is unsure of the date of his Grapefruit League debut in 2024, but manager Carlos Mendoza calculated that it will still be a week or ten days before he participates in any kind of competition.
A return to hitting must first pass other milestones, such as soft toss, machine rounds, and traditional batting practice.
But McNeil didn’t have the left bicep tightness that had affected his spring last week during his workout on Saturday at the Clover Park complex, which consisted primarily of dry swings and around thirty others off the tee.
He described that as a “really positive sign
Before the Mets left for Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to play the Cardinals, McNeil declared, “No problems at all, so feeling good.”
The partially torn left UCL that ruined McNeil’s season in late September following a horrific slide into second base had nothing to do with the tightness in his biceps.
Physicians assured him of this.
It wasn’t until the penultimate Thursday’s offseason swing in the cage that he experienced any bicep soreness or elbow discomfort. The second baseman felt tightness in his elbow.
“Thought it was good to shut it down,” McNeil stated, adding that he didn’t want to push through the bicep issue in order to prevent it from becoming a “bigger problem.” “Just attempting to regain the strength after experiencing some discomfort.”
He joked that someone else stole his plate appearances on Friday rather than MLB players stealing at-bats from minor leaguers, which is customary in similar situations. He moonlighted as an infielder and runner on the back field.
Although it didn’t have the same flow as a standard game, McNeil nevertheless played in the field and hopes to accumulate enough reps before the regular season begins.
When McNeil eventually returns, it will be a significant step in turning around his underwhelming 2023 campaign. He will eventually erase the last phases of his recuperation.
McNeil’s average dropped from.326 to.270 in 2023, a year after he signed a four-year, $50 million agreement and won the National League batting title.
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