McNeil and Cano head to the Injured List

The New York Mets’ four-game sweep of the Nationals comes at a cost; Jeff McNeil and Robinson Cano have been sent to the injured list.

McNeil did not start in Wednesday’s game after feeling tightness in his left hamstring. Later that evening, Cano left during the bottom of the third inning after running out a ground ball and was diagnosed with a low-grade left quad strain. They join players like Michael Conforto, who is recovering from a concussion and Brandon Nimmo, who is struggling with a stiff neck.

Both McNeil and Cano have been making headlines over the past couple of weeks. For McNeil, he has been an unstoppable force for this offense, putting up a .333 batting average, only behind Cody Bellinger for best in the National League. Reports on Cano haven’t been as kind, as he has been berated for his lack of hustle and struggles at the plate so far this season. The entire team has been under scrutiny after being swept by Miami this past weekend, with many fingers being pointed at Mickey Callaway for the team’s woes. However, Brodie Van Wagenen has stated that Callaway’s job is safe, and their main concern is getting the team back on track in order to find their way back to a winning record.

After losing all of their starting outfielders, the Mets have had to scramble in order to put players on the field who can continue to help the team out of their recent slump. Following the loss of Nimmo, the Mets called up Rajai Davis, who made an impact in his first at-bat with the team, putting up a three-run homer in their 6-1 victory over the Nationals on Wednesday. Carlos Gomez, who was pulled up after Conforto went to the injured list, made the difference in Thursday’s game with a three-run shot in the eighth inning to put the Mets up for a 6-4 win. To fill McNeil and Cano’s places on the roster, the Mets have called up infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Ryan O’Rourke from Triple-A Syracuse.

Even though the Mets have fallen behind in the race for the National League East, the pure determination from the players who have been thrown into these games is putting this team back on track to face Detroit for a three-game series before heading out to face the first place Dodgers. Hopefully, after their time on the injured list, McNeil will be able to pick up where he left off, and Cano will be able to have better plate appearances in order to ensure his spot in the lineup. In the next coming weeks, the Mets need to get some stability back in their lineup in order to secure a steady record before the All-Star break.