Mets infielder Jeff McNeil underwent a procedure to address thoracic outlet syndrome following the season, agent Garrett Parcell of Paragon Sports International tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Parcell noted that McNeil is expected to be a full participant in spring training.
It’s an out-of-the-blue revelation and a relatively alarming one at that. Parcell called the procedure “minor,” though the majority of TOS cases throughout the majors come with notable recovery periods. There are two types of TOS, however: vascular and neurogenic. The latter is most common among pitchers and has a tougher recovery period, whereas the former is a more serious medical condition but also has a better success rate. For instance, right-hander Merrill Kelly underwent a vTOS procedure back in Sept. 2020 and was back on the mound at full strength the following season, taking the ball on April 2 and starting 27 games over the course of the season. (The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan explored the distinction between the two TOS types at the time in 2020.)
Regardless of the specifics, it’s a notable operation for the Mets’ longtime second baseman/outfielder. McNeil, who’ll turn 34 next April, is coming off a solid rebound campaign after a couple down seasons at the plate. He hit .243/.335/.411 (111 wRC+) with a dozen homers and nearly as many walks (10.6%) as strikeouts (11.9%) in 122 games and 462 plate appearances this season. His offensive contributions were far more robust through the end of August, though it seems the TOS symptoms crept up in the season’s final month and dragged his numbers down.
McNeil was sporting a hearty .266/.357/.457 line (128 wRC+) with more walks than strikeouts as deep into the season as Sept. 3. Over his final 71 plate appearances, he turned in an awful .125/.211/.172 batting line with an elevated 19.7% strikeout rate. His average exit velocity when he did make contact in those final three-plus weeks was down a whopping 4.5 mph over his previous levels.
The hope for the Mets and McNeil will be a return to full strength next season. He’s entering the final guaranteed season of a four-year, $50MM contract extension. That contract will pay McNeil $15.75MM next season. There’s also a 2027 club option with a matching $15.75MM salary or a $2MM buyout.
McNeil figures to reprise his role as the Mets’ primary second baseman next year, although he did slide into more of a true utility role in ’25. McNeil still spent 79 games at second base but also made 34 appearances in center field, 10 in left field, seven in right field and even logged two innings at first base.
Given the glut of young infielders on the Mets’ roster (Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos), that expanded versatility will again give manager Carlos Mendoza some flexibility when writing out his lineup card each day, though it doesn’t sound like he’ll be viewed as a regular option in the outfield. President of baseball operations David Stearns said at this week’s GM Meetings that he envisioned “probably less” time in center field next year. Stearns touted McNeil’s versatility and didn’t rule out occasional outfield reps but said he’s not expecting the outfield to account for a “significant” portion of McNeil’s playing time next year.
Oh man that’s terrible, hopefully he can recover faster than pitchers, if at all.
Speedy recovery to McNeil. Gotta wonder, though, if this is going to factor into free agent plans for them.
I Guess they can’t trade him now. do the mets have an interest in torres?
Jared Walsh, never came back. The one I can think of was Kelly. Zunino,Strasburg,nola never did.
Neither did Matt Harvey
Phil Hughes.
Tyson Ross
That explains the drop off down the stretch.
Now waiting for the next shoe to drop regarding Senga who was demoted to the minors and never brought back up even when the Mets needed a Win vs. the Marlins in their final Game when all they needed to do was win one for the Gipper.
Only 1 more yr before mets can finally move on
Start warming 2nd base up for jett or ewing
McNeil’s career is over. TOS surgery is the kiss of death.
There’s a variety of different procedures, including non-surgical ones, that can be done for TOS, depending on the cause. But since you examined him and reviewed his imaging studies we ought to take your prognosis seriously. It’s generous of you to share your expertise.
For pitchers. Not necessarily as ominous for position players.
Think Ben Zunino
Mike Zunino was also pretty awful with the bat before he had issues. So it’s not as though he was a solid major league hitter that fell of a cliff suddenly.
I’ll say a prayer for him and hope he gets back to full strength, I like his playstyle of a spunky hitter who is a more bat-to-ball kind of guy, who can also play multiple positions. As a braves fan, I dislike seeing him at bat when it’s a close game between the two teams.
I thought he was finally a candidate to be traded but not after that surgery.
He still swings at everything.. wastes too many pitches with giveaway swings. Turned into a very good glove at 2B and even playing OF.
Wishing him the best in his recovery!
Well that will end trade talks!
Wishing the squirrel a speedy recovery…
Really hope he recovers fully….he is old school type gritty plays when injured doesn’t strike out 25% of time ….really appreciate a solid player like him….best wishes
How does the procedure affect his golf swing!
If such an injury truly impacted his performance down the stretch – it’s a shame, on both the org and the player, that they gave him so many repetitions (particularly over younger talent) down the stretch of a failed playoff run
Agree with some of that, but what was the alternative? Giving regular reps to Acuna, who can’t hit? To Mauricio, who can’t hit LHP, had fallen off v. RHP, and is a subpar, distracted fielder? To Vientos, who can’t field at all and who barely hit?
“Given the glut of young infielders on the Mets’ roster (Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos),…”
Vientos can’t play the field, Acuna can’t hit, and Mauricio struggles to do either and can’t hit LHP at all. To have a glut means, to begin with, you have to have something. The Mets don’t, and Stearns is too hopelessly uncreative to have brought up Jett Williams—Stearns probably thought the alternative was Jared Young.
I doubt it is the “kiss of death” for Mc Neil. They haven’t said specifically which kind of thoracic outlet surgery he had, but the 3 to 4 month recovery time he is projected for supports him having a procedure for the vascular form of TOS (similar to Wheeler?). If that is the case, it is more serious at the onset but has a much more positive prognosis of complete recovery,