JUPITER — No team escapes spring training unscathed. The Mets have only faced one significant injury setback so far this spring with Kodai Senga, but a few other players are banged up after almost three weeks of camp.
Jeff McNeil is one of them. The super utility guy felt soreness in his left bicep earlier this week after working in the batting cages. The left-handed hitter is coming off a left elbow injury already, which is why he hasn’t appeared in a Grapefruit League game yet.
Manager Carlos Mendoza isn’t sure which day the 2022 NL batting champ felt something in his arm, but the Mets don’t believe it to be serious. They’ve shut him down from hitting for precautionary reasons and will re-examine him Tuesday following the team’s off day to determine whether or not imaging is needed.
“It came up a couple of days ago after our live at-bats,” Mendoza said. “He went into cages and felt something with his swing. So we don’t think he’s anything serious. He just shut down for a couple of days from hitting, he’s doing infield drills and all that. We’ll reassess and see where he’s at after the off day on Monday.”
McNeil suffered a partial tear of his left ulnar collateral ligament late last season. It wasn’t a big enough tear that it required Tommy John surgery and McNeil spent the winter rehabbing the injury and the Mets worked him in slowly this spring.
Since he throws with his right arm, he’s able to participate in all defensive drills. But the Mets had to tell McNeil, a prolific golfer, that he has to stay away from the links until the injury clears up.
“He didn’t like that too much,” Mendoza joked.
Clearly, the Mets aren’t panicking about it. It’s important to note that it’s McNeil’s left bicep muscle, not the biceps tendon, which attaches at the elbow and the shoulder. A torn biceps tendon would require shoulder surgery, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.
Infielder Joey Wendle is working toward his Mets debut after being limited by shoulder soreness at the start of camp. Wendle, who the Mets signed to replace Luis Guillorme as the utility man off the bench, was shut down from throwing for the first few days of camp, but he’s playing catch and expected to play minor league games on the backfields before a Grapefruit League game.
The hope is that he can play in a Grapefruit League game next weekend. Wendle will start playing minor league games Sunday.
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo will make his Grapefruit League debut Sunday after playing on the backfields Friday. He’s expected to get reps in left and center fields this spring as the team prepares to move him to left to accommodate center fielder Harrison Bader and his defense.
ON THE FARM
Two future members of the rotation pitched in a Grapefruit League game for the first time this year. Right-handers Christian Scott and Mike Vasil threw an inning each in the Mets’ 4-1 loss to the Miami Marlins on Saturday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Scott, the club’s 2023 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, prioritized his sweeper. He allowed one run on one hit and a walk and struck out one. But he had five swings and misses, striking out Trey Mancini on three straight sweepers.
“He’s been a big leaguer for a long time, so for me to be able to go and throw three for strikes, that was cool for me,” Scott said.
Vasil gave up a double to Griffin Conine, the son of former Mets infielder/outfielder Jeff Conine, before retiring the next three to strand him on second.
Third baseman Brett Baty led off the top of the sixth with a solo shot off of Jhonny Pereda. His right-field blast was registered as 111.7 MPH off the bat. It was a good sign for Baty, who struggled to hit at a consistent level as a rookie and especially had problems accessing his power. Baty, 24, focused much of his offseason work on getting the ball in the air more often.
“Whenever you get one like on the barrel like that, it’s hard to explain but it just feels like nothing,” Baty said. “It felt really good.”
FAMILIAR FACES
Former Mets great Ed Kranepool visited the team in Jupiter on Saturday. He conversed with several members of the team, including Francisco Lindor, on the field during batting practice.
Friday, former football coach Bill Parcells took in the game from Roger Dean Stadium. Parcells, a Jupiter-area resident, has visited the Mets in the past during spring training, including last season when he spent time with his longtime friend Buck Showalter.
