The loss of Jeff McNeil for at least the rest of the regular season will lead to Mets decisions, both with second base and with a roster spot.
After learning their second baseman had fractured his wrist, the Mets inserted Jose Iglesias at second and played Saturday shorthanded, unable to get a 28th player to Citi Field in time.
The plan, which could change, was for DJ Stewart to be recalled for a team that is short on lefty bats.
With Jesse Winker playing right field Saturday, the Mets did not have a lefty swinger available off a bench that was composed of Starling Marte, Tyrone Taylor, Pablo Reyes and Luis Torrens.
Stewart did not play Saturday for Triple-A Syracuse, another sign that he would be summoned.
Batting atop Syracuse’s order was Luisangel Acuña, who could factor into the plans eventually but likely not immediately.
Iglesias, who has feasted against lefty pitching this season, will get most of the time at second but maybe not all of it.
“The same way we’ve been using him — he plays a couple days, two, three days, and then he gets a couple of days off,” manager Carlos Mendoza said before Iglesias went 2-for-4 with a double and a smoothly turned double play in the 4-0 win over the Reds. “He’s been pretty successful with that.”
Reyes, a veteran utilityman, could get occasional looks at second after posting an .840 OPS with 10 home runs and 10 steals in 59 games with Syracuse.
Perhaps Acuña can at some point, too, but the top prospect and brother of the Braves superstar has had a poor season with Syracuse, owning a .668 OPS with little power and a .263 average in his first 125 games with the club.
Though he tallied 38 steals, he also had been thrown out 13 times.
Mendoza said the Mets were still having discussions about the call-up, but Acuña at the least has become an option.
Other eventual possibilities with Syracuse include Luke Ritter, a righty who owned an .880 OPS in his first 121 games.
Francisco Lindor (0-for-3 with a walk and his 100th run scored of the season) extended his career-best on-base streak to 35 games, which ties David Wright for the third-longest streak in franchise history and is the longest in Mets history that spans one season.
His 16-game hitting streak was snapped.
Kodai Senga threw his second bullpen session since straining his calf.
Senga had not yet finished the session as Mendoza spoke to reporters, but the expectation was for the righty to again throw 25 pitches.
Stephanie Diller, the widow of slain NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
As did the Rangers’ Adam Fox, Islanders’ Anders Lee and Devils’ Brett Pesce.
— Additional reporting by Joel Sherman
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