Mets' Jeff McNeil homers, continues to earn playing time

Jeff McNeil just continues to hit. Mickey Callaway, forced to turn to youngsters after injuries and the trade deadline decimated his roster, said he’s happy with the way the rookie second baseman has produced.

So happy, in fact, that he plans to give McNeil a significant share of the playing time at the keystone to determine if he’s part of the team’s future.

“Is this guy going to be a kid that, we might not have to find a second baseman over the winter?” Callaway said before Monday’s 6-4 win over the Braves at Citi Field. “So that’s kind of where we’re at right now. I think you will, at times, see him play other positions, but I think that’s our main focus, to see exactly what we have. Because this kid can hit.”

McNeil, 26, went 3-for-4 Monday and is now 8 for his last 12. The lifetime minor-leaguer, who lost nearly two full seasons to injuries, singled in the first and fourth innings before hitting a no-doubter into the upper deck in rightfield in the bottom of the sixth for a 6-0 lead.

He said he was actually trying to hit the ball the other way when he noticed the Reds were shifting him to pull, but the changeup thrown by Keury Mella got him out in front. Able to get the barrel to the ball, McNeil deposited it into the seats.

He wasn’t much of a touted prospect before he crushed minor-league pitching to a tune of a .342/.411/.617 slash line with 19 home runs against Double-A and Triple-A pitching this season, but now it appears as if he’ll have a chance to stick in the majors.

McNeil said after the game that he knows this is his time to prove himself.

“It’s definitely a showcase for me, so I’m just trying to go out there every single day and play hard, just play my game,” he said. “I know if I just play my game, everything will take care of itself.”

Defensively, McNeil has impressed by making the routine plays and a few of the more improbable ones. He was particularly busy Saturday, when each of the last three batters the Braves sent to the plate against Robert Gsellman in the ninth inning grounded his way.

McNeil was called up July 24, three days before the Mets traded Asdrubal Cabrera to the Phillies, which effectively created an opening for him.

Because of his extensive injury history — a double sports hernia, a torn hip labrum, and other lesser injuries — McNeil likely will be forced into “a couple off days a week,” Callaway said.

That won’t limit his potential impact on the Mets’ near-term outlook, though. When he’s available, McNeil will likely be manning second base. It’s part of Callaway’s plan to see what he has in-house before the team makes moves in the offseason.

Said Callaway: “He’s going to have a chance to really show us what he can do, not only in August, but in September, because we’ll be playing some division opponents trying to make the playoffs, things like that.”