For about two months, Jeff McNeil did not produce as the everyday second baseman.
For about three weeks, McNeil has not produced as essentially the platoon second baseman.
The Mets second baseman has fallen deeper into this funk and will bring a .219 batting average — more than 100 points below his .326 mark that led the National League in 2022 — into a three-game set at Wrigley Field beginning Friday.
It is likely that the lefty swinger will be out of the lineup when the series begins and Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga gets the ball.
The question will become how long the Mets will continue to rely upon McNeil even against righties.
“Jeff McNeil is our second baseman, and he’s going to continue to get playing time,” manager Carlos Mendoza said last week, and McNeil indeed has continued to get playing time.
He has not run with the continued opportunities, though.
After never quite getting going in a down and injury-filled 2023 season, McNeil again has not approached the type of hole-finding savant that made him such a valuable hitter.
McNeil is still putting his bat on the ball — his 11.7 percent strikeout rate entered play Thursday as the fifth-best among qualified hitters — but the hits have disappeared.
McNeil, who does not bring much power, was hitting just .224 with a .618 OPS through May 30, which prompted the call-up of slick-glove and righty-hitter Jose Iglesias to play second base against opposing lefties.
Iglesias’ defense has been as advertised — he partnered with Francisco Lindor to turn an impressive double play that helped clinch Tuesday’s win in Texas — and his bat has been excellent (a .370/.433/.444 slash line), while his high-energy presence has coincided with a spike in the team’s play.
Iglesias has only taken 10 plate appearances against righty pitchers, but his hot streak eventually could lead to the Mets wanting to see more.
“His defense, the energy and how much he’s talking to players,” Mendoza said about what has stood out about Iglesias. “But we need Jeff McNeil.”
Upon Iglesias’s call-up and emergence, McNeil was benched for an entire week as the Mets saw a slew of opposing southpaw starters.
He returned to the lineup on June 9 in London and has played in 10 games since the hiatus, which does not seem to have worked: McNeil has gone 5-for-30 (.167) with one extra-base hit (a double), his OPS all the way down to .591.
Only four qualified hitters in the majors entered Wednesday with a worse mark.
The advanced metrics do not contain a ton of optimism. McNeil’s expected batting average is .234.
The 32-year-old statistically has lost a step, ranked as the 205th fastest runner as a rookie in 2018 and 376th this season.
The David Stearns/Mendoza regime has proven it will move off players who are not performing. Brett Baty was not hitting, so he was exchanged for Mark Vientos.
Omar Narvaez and Joey Wendle were owed money for the rest of the season, but their play on the field dictated that they would receive that money away from the team.
Adrian Houser was not helping out the rotation, so the Mets found a new home for him in the bullpen.
Those decisions, though, were cleaner than it would be to find a new role for McNeil. He is due $31.5 million over 2025 and 2026.
He has been a significant contributor since debuting in 2018 and a part of the organization since 2013.
If Iglesias’ strong play continues — or another option pops up, such as Luisangel Acuña or even Baty, who started his second game at second base with Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday — would Stearns and Mendoza demote McNeil one more time, into a full-time utilityman?
McNeil’s bat awakening, of course, would make the decision far easier for all parties.