The injured Mets star is allowed to begin baseball activities

The New York Mets could get reinforcements later in October.

Second baseman Jeff McNeil, who has been on the injured list since Sept. 8 with a fractured right wrist, has been cleared to return to baseball activity; According to Mets' beat writer Anthony DiComo, the 32-year-old's most recent X-ray showed improvement.

McNeil's 2024 season was a difficult one, as he slashed just .238/.308/.384 with 38 extra-base hits and a wRC+ of 97. However, this was largely the result of a miserable first half of the year; Entering the All-Star break, the 2022 MLB batting champion was batting just .216 with an atrocious OPS of .590.

In stark contrast, McNeil showed an impressive rejuvenation in the second half, hitting .289/.376/.547 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, 20 RBI and a 156 wRC+. He came out of the All-Star break hitting four home runs in his first five games, helping to lengthen New York's already impressive lineup; McNeil added three more long balls in August to complement the return of his sustained contact bat and significantly improved plate discipline.

However, despite DiComo's encouraging report on McNeil, there is no official timetable for his return; Additionally, the Mets have two other factors to consider.

The first is the fantastic play of Jose Iglesias; After McNeil's injury, the 34-year-old infielder compensated for this loss of performance with a brilliant .388/.424/.463 batting average and a wRC+ of 156 to end the regular season. With Iglesias' outstanding play, McNeil could be on the bench if he were able to return, but considering how high the stakes are in the postseason, bringing in a player like McNeil as a backup is extremely valuable.

The second, of course, is that the Mets would have to make a deep playoff run for McNeil to even be available. However, New York certainly got off to a good start by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series; Another win would send the Mets into the NLDS.

The Mets are playing inspired baseball at the right time, and if they get an extra hitter in the playoffs, they would be even more capable of beating any opponent that comes their way.