Mets 2x All-Star Jeff McNeil set to miss Opening Day with oblique strain

On Thursday, it was announced Jeff McNeil would be added to the growing list of players the New York Mets won't have available for their Opening Day matchup with the Houston Astros. The two-time All-Star was diagnosed with a low-grade right oblique strain that could sideline the second baseman for an extended period.

The news of the injury couldn't have come at the worst time for McNeil who was looking to bounce back from a down season that saw him appear in 129 games and dealt with injuries. He slashed .238/.308/.384/.692 which proved to be his lowest marks since the 2022 season when he earned a Silver Slugger Award and made his second All-Star Game appearance.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shared an update with SNY on Thursday, detailing what has taken place and what to expect moving forward with McNeil.

"He's probably going to be down seven to ten days with no baseball activities, and then we'll reassess," Mendoza said.

Mendoza also shared the timeline and what the medical staff did to initially diagnose it.

"Jeff McNeil has got airight oblique strain," Mendoza said. "It's low grade. He felt it after the last game played a couple of days ago. He came in sore. We gave him 24 hours. Yesterday morning was the same thing. We sent him in for imaging that showed the strain."

Mendoza added that the time frame given was only an estimate and it could take longer for McNeil to return to the field.

"Look, it's going to be tricky, so the first thing is let it heal," Mendoza said. "Hopefully it's just seven to ten days until symptom-free, but they're telling us three to four weeks so we'll see."

McNeil won't likely play until mid-April at the earliest.

Mets built to withstand injuries to players like Jeff McNeil

New York immediately went into action to set the blueprint for how it will deal with McNeil's injury. Although his natural position is third base, the Mets slid Brett Baty over to second for Thursday's spring training matchup against the Red Sox.

He made a nice diving stab and throw for an out, but also booted a sharply hit ball for an error. If the coaching staff believes he's unable to do the job at the level needed, the Mets could also look to either Luisangel Acuna or Ronny Mauricio to help fill the void until McNeil is healthy enough to return to the field.