Mets infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports. McNeil went to the injured list Aug. 14 with a hamstring strain, making him eligible to return Saturday. It’s not clear whether he’ll come back this weekend, though, as the Mets first “want to see him ranging and running down balls just to make sure he’s totally healthy,” according to manager Mickey Callaway. Meanwhile, although right-hander Marcus Stroman left his start early on Wednesday with left hamstring tightness, he doesn’t expect to miss any time (via Tim Britton of The Athletic). “I’m going to make that start against the Cubs on Tuesday,” Stroman said of his next scheduled outing.
Here’s more on a couple other NL East clubs…
- It looks as if Nationals righty Joe Ross will make his scheduled start Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes. Ross left his most recent start this past Monday in the fourth inning after taking a 110 mph comebacker off the right leg. Even though Nationals ace Max Scherzer finally returned from a weeks-long absence Thursday, the club doesn’t plan to lift Ross from its rotation. The 26-year-old helped Washington weather the temporary loss of Scherzer by delivering an incredible 21 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his first four starts of the month, though Ross only managed a 13:9 K:BB ratio in that span.
- More from Zuckerman, who observes that the Nationals’ signing of Asdrubal Cabrera has worked out brilliantly for the club. The Nationals brought in Cabrera on a low-paying deal Aug. 5 after the Rangers released the 33-year-old infielder, who underwhelmed in Texas over the season’s first few months. However, since joining the Nats, Cabrera has slashed .324/.422/.622 with a pair of home runs over a small sample of 45 plate appearances. Cabrera attributes some of his success to hitting coach Kevin Long, whom he has reunited with in Washington after the two were with the Mets from 2015-17. “He knows me,” Cabrera said. “I played for him two years, and he knows when my swing is good or when it’s not.”
- Marlins righty Pablo Lopez could return to their rotation before the month’s out, per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Lopez has been out for just over two months with a shoulder issue, having gone on the injured list June 19. The 23-year-old impressed over 14 starts before then, notching a 4.23 ERA/3.56 FIP with 8.57 K/9, 2.11 BB/9 and a 48.8 percent groundball rate in 76 2/3 innings.
That trade the Padres made with the Nationals where they sent Trea Turner and Joe Ross to the Nationals was terrible.
I think Turner was the 6th pick overall and was also traded before his first spring training. I’m pretty worried the Mets will be regretting dealing Kellanic in the same way (for Cano/Diaz).
No need to worry. That regret’s already there.
Cubs got Chapman, Yanks got Torres. Do the Cubs regret the trade?? Sure, but they did win the WS.
If the Mets win the WS this year and Diaz gets the final outs, then this regret will be null and void. Of course, the Mets will not win because overacheiving in the postseason is harder.
I can confirm.
If the Mets somehow win the World Series it will not be because of Edwin Díaz.
Doesn’t matter. If he gets the job done, it will be all worth it for the Mets. Not every team plays for their arbitrary future. No one cares about how good your prospects can be, or how good on paper your team is. Rings speak for themselves, no matter how it is earned!
If the Mets make the playoffs, I don’t think Diaz will be on the playoff roster. They are tring to avoid pitching him in close games.
He was up to close last night before the rain came back.
Mets jargon always starts with IF.
And they won’t win in the post season, All our…..because they won’t be in the post season.
They will come close so that their fans can say if as the Wilpon’s rip their hearts away.
Mets infield defense will keep them from even making the playoffs. They just don’t make normal plays.
As a Pirates fan of 50+ years, it may be sacrilegious but this is such a cool team to watch. Rooting for them to go far
I know that commenting about what a team should do is what makes baseball fun.
But sometimes it is hilarious to read the comments about BVW and Mickey C..
During the first half it was how terrible both were.
Now it’s basically the same group winning 27 of the last 37 games with the same GM and Manager.
Did they all of a sudden turn on a do it right switch?
The patience and encouragement that both have exhibited has a large part in this run.
The same George Steinbrenner type attitude of reaction to every mistake exhibited
by the first half fans, would have insured that there would not have been a run.
Thank you BVW and Mickey for your part in making this run.
Maybe the players are succeeding DESPITE the poor moves by the front office and ownership? It’s not like BVW addressed the biggest needs of the last off-season: starting pitching and relief pitching. Taking on $100m in Cano, at a position otherwise slotted for McNeil….a possible batting champion. They got lucky Vargas pitched above his head and not like the worst pitcher in baseball like he did in 2018. The bullpen is still a mess.
Trading Kelenic will likely look worse and worse each year going forward. It will take years for the Mets to rebound from that horrific trade with Seattle. They likely will not be able to extend/re-sign one or more homegrown players because they are paying Cano $20m to fall off of a cliff as a player. It’s not like taking on a guy in his late 30s coming off of a PEDs suspension is a safe gamble. If only they had stats that could have warned them….Add in that Cano was only willing to accept a trade to NYC….and it looks even worse.
The resurgence is all from the players because all the front office did was make more excuses for the Wilpons and dump prospects left and right to save some money.
Remember last winter was when no one could anticipate Alonso’s production. They pretty much expected him to open at Syracuse. His last two minor league stats were promising but like any prospect he was just that.
McNeil had a half year of success, after 4 minor league seasons which didn’t demonstrate what he is doing now.
They therefore projected him as a Ben Zobrist clone. He is even better than that.
As they looked forward they saw Frazier starting off at first base. This left McNeil and Lowrie to man third base. At that point Davis was just a hope. The outfield had Conforto and Nimmo, so they went after Pollock but not for what he was asking, because of injury potential.
They were also holding some hope that Cespedes could get back in the second half.
Nimmo and Lowrie suffered season long injuries which had a good and bad effect. Bad for obvious reasons but good in that it allowed McNeil to play full time somewhere and opened up room for both Davis and Smith.
A big problem centered around the starters only being able to go Five innings putting a lot of stress on the bullpen every game.
As far as going forward after this year, yes. Cano’s contract is large but they will have potentially dropped Frazier’s 9 mill. Lagares’s 9 mill. And Vargas’s 8 mill..Thet currently only have wheeler who should get a large increase.
Kelenic and Dunn are good prospects but they could not help them this year or probably next.
So I contend that BVW had a great plan in place, not to mention the positive vibes he brought.
It is easy to criticize on Monday morning.
Hey Parker’s…Monday is reserved for NFL second guessers.
Summarize what you wrote:
“Brody” and their management team (the 3 Stooges) didn’t anticipate their best players developing and in particular made moves to block them from ever playing in the MLB this year.
Brody got fleeced by Seattle, who took advantage of his stupidity and impulsiveness to trade away the farm for an overrated closer and overpaid, over-the-hill second baseman.
My reference to Monday morning refers to people who make judgements without evaluating all the facts surrounding the issue.
Mets top priority going into 2019 was to get a dependable closer to augment above average starters.
The fact that Diaz at age 25 has not worked out as hoped makes it easy to push the prospect narrative.
But all trades have a short term and long term basis for judgement.
But to make judgements based on evaluations of how good a prospect will be is factually impossible.
The Mets made an evaluation based on Diaz’s major league records
Great point Parker. So let’s look at the short term and long term basis for Cano. When does the team get value for blocking second base with a lazy, over the hill player who is clogging the base paths and payroll?
Met’s defense has not helped Diaz’s, They don’t make so many easy plays, infield defense is poor when hit on ground pitcher hope they make the play.