Jeff McNeil has ‘minor’ hamstring strain; Ruben Tejada called up

After receiving an MRI, Jeff McNeil was placed on the 10-Day Injured List with a ‘mild’ left hamstring strain, the Mets announced today. Ruben Tejada has been called up from Triple-A Syracuse to fill McNeil’s spot on the active roster.

McNeil exited last night’s loss to the Atlanta Braves after attempting to leg out an infield single in the ninth inning. He came up limping, throwing his helmet in frustration, but left the field more or less on his own. McNeil is currently third in the National League in batting average, hitting .332 on the season.

There is some optimism from the Mets in terms of the relative lack of severity of the strain; the team says the expect him back in 10 days. This comes as a major relief, as McNeil has been such a vital part of the Mets’ success this season.

Ruben Tejada’s return to the Mets is a fun story. When the Mets signed him to a minor league deal this spring, it seemed like a flyer on a veteran with a strong team connection. However, for Syracuse, Tejada is hitting 330/.408/.476, and seem to be going through a career resurgence.

It should be noted that in 2019, Ruben Tejada will play a major league game and Chase Utley will not.