During the Mets’ Thursday afternoon win vs. the Nationals at Citi Field, New York left fielder Jeff McNeil made a spectacular catch at the warning track to end the first inning. With men on second and third, Asdrubal Cabrera drove a slider off lefty David Peterson to left field.
However, while making the grab, McNeil slammed into the outfield wall and was unable to walk back to the dugout on his own power after the collision and had to be carted off the field.
From the looks of it, McNeil jammed his neck/head into the wall pretty hard. He clearly looked shaken up and was also having difficulty putting pressure on his left leg, which also appeared to hit into the outfield wall. According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, McNeil underwent an X-ray and MRI on his left knee, and both came back negative. The diagnosis is a bone bruise in McNeil’s left knee, and he’s listed as day-to-day for now, SNY’s Steve Gelbs adds.
McNeil has mostly been playing in the outfield for the Mets this season, but he has played several other positions, including third base. Entering Thursday, McNeil was slashing .293/.358/.362 on the year. The 28-year-old missed three games earlier this month with back issues. In 2019, he earned his first All-Star nod in just his second big-league campaign with the Mets after debuting in July 2018.
Billy Hamilton entered the game in place of McNeil, and took over at center while Brandon Nimmo shifted to left. We can likely expect an update on McNeil’s status after further evaluation by the Mets medical staff.
