Mets called up Jeff McNeil and now they need to play him every day

Jeff McNeil has done everything to deserve a promotion to the big leagues this season. The New York Mets have finally listened and it’s time to play him every day.

The moment the New York Mets trade Asdrubal Cabrera, they better make a corresponding change to the lineup. That move is simple: play Jeff McNeil.

McNeil has delivered one of the handful of positive storylines for this franchise in 2018. I’m talking a small handful, too. A grip smaller than a baby or Donald Trump tiny; whichever can grasp less.

McNeil’s triumphant year in Double-A and equally as impressive stint with the Triple-A squad had him begging for a big league promotion. As soon as second base opens up, that position must belong to him for the remainder of the year.

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Odds are, the Mets open next season with a very similar lineup. I don’t see them having a chance at moving any of their players on bad contracts. Other than maybe catcher, second base is the one opening available to a free agent. Rather than spend on one of the big names out there this winter, they need to first see what McNeil can do at the big league level.

The 2018 campaign is a wash so why not give McNeil every opportunity to face big league pitchers? Two months of playing every day should give us a better idea of how high his ceiling is.

There’s one downside to this. In this scenario, McNeil is amazing this season and the Mets view him as the starting second baseman next year. Then, like so many sophomores, he slumps. Because they thought they could get away with a cheap second baseman, they don’t have anyone useful to replace him in the starting lineup.

This concern can easily disappear if the Mets add a useful utility player over the winter. Landing a guy who can play second base regularly, just in case, may allow them to take a bigger chance on McNeil.

New York missed on every free agent signing made this past winter. To make up for it, they need guys like McNeil to step up and play often.

How can the Mets not let the kids play out the rest of this year? How short-sighted can this front office and the manager actually be?

In a year filled with so much disappointment, holding out some hope that McNeil can deliver a quality rookie season is one of the few things keeping our eyes and ears on this team.

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Let’s hope they do the right thing.