McNeil starts rehab game in Coney Island

New York Met Jeff McNeil, who has been out with a left hamstring pull since May 16, began his minor league rehab assignment at Maimonides Park June 13, playing second base for the Brooklyn Cyclones. 

He made an inauspicious debut at the plate, going 0-for-2 on a fly out and a ground out, but was sufficiently agile for five innings in the field. On his last out, he appeared to answer questions about his health when he ran through first base at full speed, and he should be on track to rejoin the Mets soon.

In 2013, McNeil was promoted to the Cyclones from the Appalachian Rookie League during his six-year climb to the majors. Although he was not a major prospect, he grinded it out until his call-up to Citi Field from Triple-A Las Vegas in July 2018. He finished the season strong, hitting .329 with six home runs in 63 games.

The next year, the “Hitting Machine” led Major League Baseball with a .348 batting average and was an All-Star. He fractured his wrist at the end of the year but came back to hit .311 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.