Mets' McNeil to miss Opening Day with oblique strain

New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil won't be ready for Opening Day due to a low-grade right oblique strain.

"(McNeil) felt it after the last game he played a couple of days ago," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters, per SNY.

"This could be tricky. The first thing is letting it heal. Hopefully, 7-10 days until he's symptom-free, if it's more, it's more. But they're telling us three-to-four weeks."

McNeil himself isn't exactly sure how or when the injury happened.

"Came out of the game fine, it was later that night I kind of felt a little sore, nothing crazy," he said. "Just decided to get it checked out and got a picture on it and showed a minor oblique (strain)."

The 32-year-old hit .238/.308/.384 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs in 129 games for the Mets in 2024. He broke his wrist in September on a hit-by-pitch but returned for the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mendoza named Luisangel Acuña, Brett Baty, Donovan Walton, and Luis De Los Santos as options to step up in his absence.

"We don't feel like (McNeil's injury) is a long-term (issue), we like the guys we've got here," Mendoza said. "The guys we got here in camp that were competing for the last spot, now there's two spots."

McNeil joins Francisco Alvarez, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and Nick Madrigal on a growing list of Mets to suffer injuries this spring.

Mendoza said Manaea, who was dealing with an oblique issue of his own, began throwing two days ago and is symptom-free. He didn't provide a concrete timetable for his return.

"We gotta build him back up as a starter," he said. "The good thing is he's feeling good, there's nothing going on there on that oblique. Now it's just 75, 90, 120 before he gets back on the mound."

The Mets open their season against the Astros in Houston on March 27.