The Mets dodge a bullet as Jeff McNeil is diagnosed with a bone contusion

For New York Mets‘ fans, seeing Jeff McNeil suffering in pain after making a spectacular catch in left field was an ugly scene. They had feared the worst, especially since he was grabbing his left knee in evident pain. Fortunately, the injury gods, apparently, smiled to the Mets this time around.

McNeil underwent X-rays and they turned negative. Then, an MRI showed no structural damage and he was diagnosed with a bone contusion, which should allow him to avoid the injured list per Mets’ manager Luis Rojas. Bullet dodged.

McNeil wasn’t available for comment after the game, but several teammates expressed their happiness about the situation and the diagnosis. “He’s a fearless competitor,” said teammate Dominic Smith to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “Obviously, you don’t want to see a guy go down, but I love it. I just love how hard he plays.”

In the Mets’ 8-2 win against the Washington Nationals, Asdrubal Cabrera reached a low slider and drove it to left field. What appeared to be a double to the gaps turned out to be an out thanks to McNeil’s running catch.

A scare for the Mets

He ended up hitting the wall and fell to the ground in pain. A member of the Mets’ training staff met him, and McNeil tried to walk to the dugout. He couldn’t and had to be carted off. Billy Hamilton replaced him in the game.

“My first reaction was that it was a hell of a catch and it got us out of that tight jam,” starting pitcher David Peterson said. “Once he was down for a while, guys were kind of starting to be like, ‘OK, something might be wrong.’”

If the Mets choose to give McNeil a couple of days of rest, they have JD Davis and Dominic Smith capable of playing left field, and if they include Hamilton in the lineup in center, Brandon Nimmo could also fill in next to him.

McNeil was “very encouraged about getting the results from the X-ray,” according to Rojas.

“It just makes us want to play harder,” Smith said. “That type of energy that he brings, it’s just kind of contagious. It just makes us want to play harder for each other. Obviously, it sucks that he went down, but it just goes to show how hard we go out there and play and how fearless he is.”

McNeil has a .319/.382/ .502 career line with a .375 wOBA and a 139 wRC+. For the season, he was at .293/.358/.362 with a .319 wOBA and a 107 wRC+.