Jeff McNeil got another start at second base in against right-hander Roddery Munoz. And he went without a hit again. With the Padres scheduled to go with three right-handers when they come to Citi Field beginning Friday, the lefty-swinging McNeil still may get the nod over the hot-hitting Jose Iglesias, with Carlos Mendoza making it clear Thursday. Ill continue to say, Jeff McNeil is our second baseman, Mendoza said before the game. Hell continue to get playing time. Iglesias has been great, especially against lefties. [Iglesias] defense, his energy, talking to players, has been great. We need Jeff McNeil. Marlins outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. steals second base as Jeff McNeil fails to hold onto the ball during the fifth inning of the Mets 3-2 win over the Marlins. Robert Sabo John Ogrodnick Jersey for NY Post McNeil sat four straight games, all versus lefties, before he returned to the lineup against a right-hander when the Mets faced the Phillies in London. He responded with two hits, but then went 0-for-4 in Wednesdays win over Miami and 0-for-3 Thursday to drop his OPS to .601. Explore More He wants to help the team, Mendoza said. He was frustrated that a couple calls didnt go his way. Hes a competitor and he wants to help. This is a good hitter, a good player thats gotten off to a slow start. Mendoza noted that McNeil was among the players that took early batting practice Thursday, along with Francisco Alvarez and Pete Alonso. He will get opportunities, Mendoza said. We need these guys to get going because hes a really good player. Delivering insights on all things Amazins Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! With , the Mets chose to option left-hander Danny Young instead of Dedniel Nunez, who impre sed Wednesday with 2 / scorele s innings against Miami. See Also Mendoza said the decision was not an easy one. The Mets went with the right-handed Nunez because of his dominance and Mendoza indicated he could pitch in bigger spots. He can go multiple innings and pitch high-leverage, Mendoza said. Youngs departure leaves the Mets with just one lefty in their bullpen, Jake Diekman, so they will continue to rely on some right-handers against lefties. Sean Reid-Foley has been among the righties thats handled lefties well. Nunez, Young and Reed Garrett still have minor league options, as do Grant Hartwig and Josh Walker both already at Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets finally found a catcher who can throw out potential base stealers. Luis Torrens got Nick Gordon at second to end the top of the third. Although Jazz Chisolm Jr. swiped second in the fifth, Torrens has still thrown out four of the six runners that have tried to run on him. His 66.7 percent rate is miles ahead of any other backstop the Mets have had this season. Francisco Alvarez is 0-for-11, while Tomas Nido was succe sful on just six of 32 attempts, (18.7 percent) and Omar Narvaez was 2-for-35 (6 percent). Hes got a good arm, a cannon, said Mendoza, who knew Torrens from the Yankees farm system. He has [good] footwork, gets rid of the ball quickly and can really throw. Brandon Nimmo walked and scored in the seventh, but didnt have a hit. In his previous 24 games, the left fielder had an OPS of just .569 with six extra-base hits and 36 strikeouts in 104 plate appearances. DJ Stewart struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth and is 1-for-23 with 10 strikeouts in his last dozen games. Ville Husso Jersey