New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil, sidelined since early September with what was believed to be a season-ending broken wrist, is on the team’s National League Championship Series roster, the Mets announced Sunday. He replaces reliever Adam Ottavino. The Mets are carrying 12 pitchers and 14 position players for their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Here is New York’s NLCS roster:
The New York Post reported earlier this week that the Mets were considering a petition to Major League Baseball to allow McNeil to partake in the Arizona Fall League in response to the impact Hurricane Milton would have on their Florida facilities. That petition was granted, and McNeil went 2 for 9 in two AFL games. The AFL is essentially a monthlong finishing school for prospects.
There is precedent for an injured player going to the AFL before making their return from what was previously believed to be a year-ending injury. Back in 2016, then-Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber suffered full tears of his ACL and LCL two games into the regular season. Schwarber was able to progress in his rehab quickly enough to play in an AFL game before joining the Cubs’ World Series roster.
McNeil, 32, had hit .238/.308/.384 (97 OPS+) with 12 home runs and five stolen bases in 129 games prior to the injury. His contributions were estimated to be worth 1.6 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference’s calculations. During McNeil’s absence, the Mets have turned the keystone over to veteran journeyman Jose Iglesias. Iglesias has more than exceeded expectations, in turn, hitting for a 137 OPS+ in 85 games and providing New York with a rallying cry in the form of his song “OMG.”
Under MLB’s rules, teams must submit their rosters 3 1/2 hours before the first game of each series. Clubs are allowed to tweak their rosters from round to round, but players cannot be added or removed from the roster during the series unless there is an injury. In that case, the removed players are deemed ineligible for the following round. NLCS Game 1 is set for Sunday.
