Jeff McNeil didnt exactly join the power brigade against Gerrit Cole and the Yankees on Tuesday, but he did at least come alive a bit at the plate . The slumping second baseman, who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the Mets Subway Series-opening win at Citi Field, entered the night hitle s in his previous 15 at-bats, another bad stretch in whats been a horrendous season. But Carlos Mendoza said he liked what he saw from McNeils at-bats in , when McNeil failed to pick up a hit again. Jeff McNeil smacks a single in the fourth inning for one of his two hits in the Mets 9-7 Subway Series-opening win over the Yankees. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post He was better Sunday, Mendoza said. He hit three bullets. To Mendozas point, McNeil lined out three times once at 105 mph, a second at 99 mph and a third at 91. Explore More Then McNeil got a pair of singles out of the eight-hole in Tuesdays victory and also stole a base. It was McNeils first multi-hit game since June 9 against the Phillies in London. I thought he had good at-bats again, said Mendoza, who noted McNeil had hit into some bad luck recently. Still, McNeil Ish Smith Jersey has been one of the few Mets hitters who has not seen an improvement in production this month. Jeff McNeil steals second base during the sixth inning of the Mets victory. Robert Sabo for New York Post He had sat four straight games, all versus lefties, before he returned to the lineup against a right-hander in that two-hit game versus Philadelphia in London. Following that game, though, McNeil went into another funk, this one 3-for-36 (.083) with one extra-base hit, two walks and six strikeouts prior to Tuesday. Mendoza said McNeil could be in the mix to fill in for the injured Starling Marte in right field, with Marte expected to be out at least a month with a deep bone bruise in his right knee. Thats in play, Mendoza said. Complicating things for McNeil has been the emergence of Jose Iglesias, who wasnt in Tuesdays lineup. With Iglesias playing the way hes playing, it will be matchup-based and day-by-day, Mendoza said. I wont hesitate to put McNeil in right field. 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! Including Tuesday, McNeil has started 66 games at second and just six in the outfield, all in left. McNeils presence in the lineup anywhere will be hard to justify if he doesnt break out of this slump. Entering Tuesday, only Torontos George Springer had a lower OPS among qualified hitters than McNeils .572. Its part of whats been a steady decline the past two seasons for McNeil, who was the batting champ and had an OPS of .836 in 2022. Mendoza, in his first year in the Mets dugout, has steadfastly stood behind McNeil, but Iglesias has even hit right-handers better than McNeil, while pummeling lefty pitching. Anzejs Pasecniks Jersey