WASHINGTON — Jeff McNeil has a sore right shoulder, the latest nagging injury for the New York Mets as they try to recover from a late-summer swoon.
McNeil was out of the lineup for Thursday’s series finale at Washington, with Brett Baty starting at second base. One of the Mets’ most consistent hitters, McNeil went 4 for 8 with a homer, two doubles and five RBI in the previous two games against the Nationals.
“It doesn’t bother him to swing the bat. It’s just more the throwing,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
The shoulder problem began late last week, Mendoza said, which is why McNeil started at designated hitter on Saturday and Sunday.
Brandon Nimmo was also out of the lineup Thursday with the stiff neck that forced him to leave Wednesday night’s game in the second inning. Tyrone Taylor started in left field.
“We didn’t see much improvement overnight,” Mendoza said of Nimmo.
McNeil has experience in left, but the shoulder problem means he’s not an option there for now.
New York’s series at Washington began Tuesday with the news that catcher Francisco Alvarez has a sprained ligament in his right thumb that will require surgery. Alvarez is hoping he can play through the pain after a stint on the injured list.
Backup catcher Luis Torrens had a rough night Wednesday that included getting hit in his receiving hand by a bat on a catcher’s interference play, but Mendoza said Thursday that Torrens was “fine.”
The Mets had a three-game winning streak before Wednesday night’s loss, but the team with the biggest payroll in the majors is just 5-15 since July 28. New York entered Thursday trailing Philadelphia by 6 1/2 games in the NL East and was one game ahead of Cincinnati for the final wild-card spot.