Jose

Iglesias

McNeil will start his second straight game after being an afterthought over the first four games of the series. His absence means Jose Iglesias begins the must-win game on the bench for the Mets. The full lineup for the Mets: SS Francisco Lindor, LF Brandon Nimmo, 3B Mark Vientos, 1B Pete Alonso, DH Jesse Winker, RF Starling Marte, CF Tyrone Taylor, 2B McNeil and C Francisco Alvarez with Sean Manaea on the mound.

McNeil is playing second base over Jose Iglesias, who had been a lineup fixture this month. It’ll be McNeil’s first appearance since he suffered a fractured wrist on Sept. 6. The Mets are also playing Jesse Winker over J.D. Martinez today. The lineup: SS Francisco Lindor, LF Brandon Nimmo, 3B Mark Vientos, 1B Pete Alonso, DH Winker, RF Starling Marte, CF Tyrone Taylor, 2B McNeil, C Francisco Alvarez.

McNeil has been limited to just one plate appearance as a pinch-hitter after being added to the roster prior to the start of the NLCS. The 32-year-old missed a month with his wrist injury, and Jose Iglesias has been excellent as the starting second baseman in his absence.

After taking a seat on Wednesday with J.D. Martinez starting at DH, it will be Winker back in the lineup and hitting sixth on Thursday against Tobias Myers and the Brewers. The rest of the lineup remains the same but Jose Iglesias will move to fifth in the order with Mark Vientos hitting second and Brandon Nimmo hitting third.

Iglesias was practically the extent of the Mets’ offense in this one with a lead-off home run and wound up with two of their four hits, including the only two that went for extra bases. He’s been nothing short of a revelation for New York this season, first steadying the bottom of their order, releasing a number one hit single, then becoming their full-time second baseman after Jeff McNeil went out with an injury, and now filling in for Francisco Lindor atop their order. He’s responded with a .333 batting average which is the highest by any player in the National League with at least 250 plate appearances.

Iglesias is in the lineup while Francisco Lindor deals with a back injury. He got a clutch hit with a two-out RBI single in the eighth to tie the game. Iglesias is hitting .323 with three home runs and 24 RBI in 220 at-bats this year.

Francisco Lindor said tests on his back showed no structural damage but how long he’s out will “depend on how [his] back reacts.” Lindor is battling through a little bit of pain, but he believes the training staff has a plan to get him back out on the field quickly. Given how important he is to the Mets, we’d expect him to get back out on the field as soon as he can play without pain. It just might not be until the end of the week, which makes him hard to start in weekly lineup leagues. Jose Iglesias will likely start at shortstop for the time being.

The Mets sent Lindor for an MRI on his back on Monday, so the veteran will get the night off as the team sorts through a long-term plan for their MVP candidate. Jose Iglesias will start at shortstop and hit leadoff on Monday.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters McNeil will miss at least 4-6 weeks, which ostensibly ends his season, unless they somehow manage to advance deep into the postseason. However, he should be fully recovered heading into the offseason. It’s the worst-case scenario outcome for New York as additional testing revealed the fracture after McNeil was hit by a pitch during Friday’s game agains the Reds. His absence creates additional at-bats for veteran Jose Iglesias and could also pave the way for a top prospect like Luisangel Acuña to get a promotion to the big leagues.

No surprise here after McNeil was lifted from Friday’s game after suffering a right wrist contusion. It’ll be Jose Iglesias at second base on Saturday afternoon in his place. The 32-year-old veteran will presumably undergo some additional testing this weekend to determine the extent of the injury. There should be an additional update on his status in the coming days. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.