Jeff McNeil reports to Mets camp 'pain-free' despite UCL tear in elbow
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The best parts of Jeff McNeil’s offseason involved two of his favorite activities: swinging a bat and swinging a golf club.
He has been able to do the former “pain-free” for the past couple of months, he said. That is a big improvement over the end of last season, when the Mets shut him down because of a partial tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.
The UCL — the piece of the joint that sometimes requires Tommy John surgery — still is damaged, McNeil said, but that is “somewhat normal.” The important part is it doesn’t hurt anymore after the treatment regimen of a platelet-rich plasma injection and two months of rest. The team cleared him in December to resume swinging (whichever object).
“It’s a symptom-based injury, and I have no symptoms at all,” he said. “Doctors said it’s something that might flare up day to day. You might have a day where it’s a little bit bad. But hitting three, four times a week this offseason, I didn’t have any problems with it. So I’m really confident with that going into this year.”
Then came the golf. Last month, he won the celebrity field in the LPGA’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, his first time participating in such a tournament. He beat Annika Sorenstam, Jeremy Roenick, John Smoltz, Aaron Hicks, Larry The Cable Guy and others.
“Pretty cool,” McNeil said with his biggest smile of the six-minute interview.
Back in baseball mode, he had a straightforward answer to an annual inquiry: Which position will he play?
The Mets view him as their starting second baseman. But he said he’ll practice a bit in the outfield during spring training, just in case.
“We see him as a second baseman — not a secret,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But he also provides versatility.”
Middle infield for Acuna
Luisangel Acuna will play shortstop and second base in camp, Mendoza said. No outfield “at the moment.”
“We’ll see how it goes,” he said.
Acuna played four games in centerfield in the Rangers’ farm system before the Mets acquired him for Max Scherzer last summer.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
