Jeff McNeil fractured his right wrist in early September and figured to miss the rest of the season, but the second baseman is scheduled to play in the Arizona Fall League this weekend and might rejoin the New York Mets if they reach the National League Championship Series.
McNeil, 32, last appeared in a game Sept. 6, but the two-time All-Star was with the team Wednesday and took infield and batting practice before Game 4 of the NL Division Series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets lead the best-of-five series 2-1.
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To allow McNeil to face live pitching, the Mets petitioned Major League Baseball to let him appear in AFL games due to Hurricane Milton’s impact on the team’s spring training facilities in Port St. Lucie, Florida. MLB approved the petition, and McNeil is slated to play Friday and Saturday. The NLCS is set to begin Sunday.
In 129 games this season before the injury, McNeil hit .238 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs. Over seven seasons with the Mets, who picked him in the 12th round of the 2013 draft, the 2022 MLB batting champion has hit .289 with 68 home runs and 313 RBIs in 801 games.
Jose Iglesias filled in nicely for McNeil, batting .395 with 1 homer, 14 runs and 4 RBIs in 22 regular-season games since taking over Sept. 6. In this postseason, Iglesias is hitting .231 (6-for-26) with three RBIs and three runs in six games.
McNeil wouldn’t be the first player to rejoin his team after a stint in the AFL following a serious injury. In 2016, then-Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber — who missed almost the entire season with an ACL injury — was able to play in an AFL game before joining Chicago’s World Series roster.
