JUPITER, Fla. — Jeff McNeil still doesn’t know when he’ll face live pitching.
He doesn’t know when he’ll make his Grapefruit League debut in 2024 — though he expects to still get enough reps ahead of the regular season.
But for his hitting workout Saturday at the Clover Park complex — mostly dry swings and about 30 others off the tee — McNeil didn’t feel the left bicep soreness that altered his spring last week.
That, he said, was a “very positive sign.”
“No problems at all,” McNeil said, “so feeling good.”
The bicep soreness wasn’t connected to his partially torn left UCL, which ended McNeil’s season in late September after a slide into second base turned disastrous. Doctors reassured him of that.
He hadn’t felt any bicep soreness in swings or any elbow discomfort the entire offseason, either, until the one swing last Thursday in the cage.
“Thought it was good to shut it down,” McNeil said, who added he didn’t want it to become a “bigger problem” by trying to push through it. “Experienced a little bit of discomfort, so just trying to build back the strength.”
It created a different timeline for his spring.
He moonlighted as an infielder and runner for five innings on the back field Friday, joking that instead of MLB players stealing at-bats from minor-leaguers — the usual occurrence in those settings — someone else snagged his plate appearances.
That didn’t create the same flow as a traditional game, but McNeil still logged some reps in the field.
Eventually, McNeil will erase the final stages and make his return, and it’ll mark a pivotal step toward reversing his disappointing 2023 campaign.
A year after winning the National League batting title and signing a four-year, $50 million extension, McNeil’s average dipped from .326 to .270. His OPS spiraled from .836 to .711.
His progress toward fixing that will now involve navigating a disjointed spring, but Saturday, at least, provided a step toward normalcy.
“Hopefully get in games somewhat soon,” McNeil said. “… There’s tons of ABs on the back fields to get. Not worried about getting enough ABs to get ready.”
