LOS ANGELES — Jeff McNeil missed over a month before returning to the Mets roster on Sunday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will be limited to a bench role.
The veteran utilityman, who was placed on the NLCS roster following a short rehab of his right wrist, was absent from the starting lineup for a 9-0 Game 1 loss to the Dodgers.
But manager Carlos Mendoza said he won’t hesitate to use McNeil in a starting role if it makes sense on a particular day.
“His bat-to-ball skills, that’s his calling,” Mendoza said. “That’s what he’s been his whole career. I am going to go back to spring training where he didn’t play that many games and he was in our Opening Day lineup because of his bat-to-ball skills.”
McNeil, who played Friday and Saturday in the Arizona Fall League to sharpen his skills, is pleased he will get a chance to contribute after fracturing the wrist last month on a hit by pitch.
“Just being in this organization for as long as I have and not getting too deep in the playoffs it means a lot to play in such a big series here,” McNeil said. “I am just super happy.”
McNeil had a .923 OPS following the All-Star break after sputtering in the first half.
McNeil’s return couldn’t have come in a better place — he grew up two hours north of Dodger Stadium in Santa Barbara.
“I was a Dodgers fan growing up,” McNeil said. “It means a lot to play in this ballpark. I remember when I got called up in 2018 this is one of the first places I got to play. It was pretty cool and special for me to play in this ballpark.”
Luisangel Acuña remained as a bench option, going hitless in a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth, as Adam Ottavino was omitted from the NLCS roster to create space for McNeil.
“The versatility, there’s a lot to like,” Mendoza said, referring to Acuna. “In a series like this, it’s going to allow us to be more aggressive.”
Danny Young made his first appearance of the postseason, walking one in 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings, as he remains an option to stop the left-handed threats the Dodgers have in their lineup.
