Carlos Mendoza says Jeff McNeil -- out of Tuesday's lineup vs. Phillies -- is 'pressing a little bit'
After an 0-for-5 performance on Monday night, Jeff McNeil is not in Tuesday’s Mets’ lineup as they host the Philadelphia Phillies.
Typically one of the best contact hitters not just on the team, but in all of baseball, McNeil has scuffled over his last 15 games, slashing just .193/.270/.193. He has just 11 hits (all singles) in his last 57 at-bats.
With Joey Wendle starting at second on Tuesday, manager Carlos Mendoza was asked before the game if there is any rhyme or reason to why McNeil has struggled.
“Probably pressing a little bit, trying to do too much, especially when he’s chasing as much. So, yeah, I think it’s a hitter going through it right now,” Mendoza said. “And it just feels like he’s trying to put the ball in play. I know the bat-to-ball skills are really good from him, as we’ve seen throughout the years, but it’s one of those where he’s going out there and just trying to put the ball in play, like weak contact early in counts and then chasing a lot.”
The Mets have plenty of reasons to believe that McNeil will turn it around. A career .294 hitter, he has four seasons under his belt in which he hit .300 or better. He also won the 2022 NL batting title with a .326 average.
“It’s just one of those where you have to continue to work with him,” Mendoza said.
With McNeil coming off the bench, the Mets will look to rebound from Monday’s 5-4 loss.
