For Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez -- it feels like Opening Day. 

Technically it is -- they were sidelined for the Mets’ first 25 games of the regular season due to injuries suffered during spring training, but after working their way back over the past couple of weeks they are finally ready to roll. 

Both were officially activated from the IL on Friday and slide right into the starting lineup. 

“It’s feels good,” Carlos Mendoza said. “Getting Jeff and Alvy back helps. Coming into the year they were going to be a big part of this team and this lineup -- they went down and they went through the rehab process and now here they are. They are healthy and ready to go, I’m looking forward to watching them play.”

McNeil is slotted in at second for the series opener against the Nationals, and that’s where he’s expected to see the bulk of his playing time -- though the skipper said he “wouldn’t hesitate” to use him in center. 

The 33-year-old is open to the idea after spending time there during his rehab. 

“I played a lot of center in college,” McNeil said. “I enjoy being out there, it’s a lot of fun -- I take pride in playing lot of different positions and being really versatile, so wherever the team needs me I’m going play and I’m going to be happy to do it.” 

With his new power-hitting approach and a torpedo bat, McNeil was able to find a ton of success during his handful of at-bats in the minors -- launching a pair of homers and a double while posting stellar 1.112 OPS. 

He’s hoping to be able to carry that production over to the big-league level. 

“I feel really good at the plate,” McNeil said. “Through the rehab assignments I felt like I was hitting the ball harder than I ever have in my career -- so I feel really good with that and hopefully I can keep it going here.”

Alvarez, on the other hand, was struggling to get back into a groove at the plate. 

The 23-year-old put together just seven hits and one homer while striking out 11 times across 44 minor-league at-bats -- but he still feels confident as he continues working with his revamped swing. 

“I’m really excited to be here,” he said through a translator. “During my rehab I was working a lot on my swing to try to feel right, and when I wasn’t swinging I was working a lot on my mentality on what it is that I wanted to do -- so right now I feel really good.”

Sanchez won't start Tuesday but Phillies encouraged originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CHICAGO — Cristopher Sanchez will not take his turn in the Phillies’ rotation on Tuesday, but the news on his forearm has been promising.

At least one bit of good news during a five-game losing streak.

Sanchez played catch from up to 90 feet on Friday at Wrigley Field, three days after pitching just two innings and leaving a start against the Mets with left forearm tightness. He gave a thumbs-up as he walked back into the clubhouse pregame, signaling that it went well, and will throw a bullpen session on Sunday afternoon.

“Good, very good,” manager Rob Thomson said of Sanchez’ day. “… Hopefully we dodged a bullet here.”

Zack Wheeler will start on Tuesday in the spot that would have been Sanchez’. The Phillies were off Thursday and are again Monday, so Wheeler will actually be pitching on one extra day of rest despite moving ahead of Sanchez in the order. He doesn’t like pitching on one extra day, much less two.

The Phillies’ rotation beyond Tuesday is TBD. The off-days would allow them to start Taijuan Walker, Jesus Luzardo and Aaron Nola on normal rest Wednesday through Friday before re-slotting Sanchez back in on Saturday.

Ranger Suarez is also nearing a return to the rotation. He will throw approximately 80 pitches on Sunday at Triple A in his fourth rehab start. He may make a fifth to get to the 95-pitch range, Thomson said Friday morning.

Marsh progressing

Outfielder Brandon Marsh began a rehab assignment of his own Thursday with Lehigh Valley. He was scheduled to play seven innings in center field on Friday then DH on Saturday.

Marsh is on the injured list (backdated to April 17) with a mild right hamstring strain. He is first eligible to return on Sunday.

Losing streak reaches 5 for the .500 Phillies, who can't buy a big hit originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CHICAGO — The losing streak reached five games and the Phillies are .500 for the first time all season after dropping their first of three at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon.

The start of the game was delayed by 2 hours and 10 minutes by rain on a chilly, windy morning but the sun made its way out just before first pitch. The Phillies’ offense did not follow in a 4-0 loss.

They fell behind once again and continue to produce an alarmingly low number of extra-base hits. They had none on Wednesday, two on Friday and have five in their last four games. The Cubs had six in this game alone.

The last time the Phillies ended a full inning with a lead was the seventh on Sunday. They’ve played 40 since. The pitchers have had no wiggle room and the hitters haven’t been able to take a deep breath for nearly a week.

“We’re in a little bit of a rut here,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Runners in scoring position, I know we talk about it all the time, but one of these days we’re gonna come through. Really, the threat was in the seventh inning when we got two guys on. The other innings, I don’t think we got a runner into scoring position until there were two outs so you’ve got one shot at it. But you’ve got first and second with nobody out, you feel like that’s the time you need to score.”

The Phillies remain confident this is just a blip on the radar for an experienced group, but the run of mediocrity extends much farther back than the 13-13 start. They’re 46-47 since last All-Star break, 47-50 if you include the NLDS. It’s true that this is a new year, but it’s not so new a team. The Phillies returned most of the same roster and are experiencing the same issues that led to their demise last fall — too much of the lineup going cold at the same time and not enough reliability in the bullpen.

They’ve been shut out three times through 26 games. It took 90 games last season.

“We’re stringing things together and it’s just avoiding us right now,” Kyle Schwarber said. “It can be frustrating, mind-boggling, but overall, if we keep getting guys on base and into scoring position, things are going to start going our way.”

Sometimes, an offense slumps because the ball isn’t traveling over the wall. Sometimes, it’s the elusiveness of the big hit. Sometimes, it’s bad luck. Right now, the Phillies are experiencing all three problems.

They’re 26 games into the season and have only four players with more than one home run: Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott and Nick Castellanos.

Schwarber hit five homers through 10 games but wasn’t going to hit 81. The Phils need to find alternative ways to score when he’s going through a power drought or Harper isn’t locked in. This Cubs team entered the day leading the National League in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, stolen bases and, naturally, runs scored. They’ve been a three-dimensional offense. The Phillies have not.

Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Max Kepler and Alec Bohm are all hitting below .250 with three combined home runs in 396 plate appearances. It’s just not enough.

On top of it all, there’s been misfortune. Harper crushed a ball in the third inning that, according to Statcast, would have been a game-tying home run in calm conditions. But the wind was blowing in 10 to 15 mph from left field and it was a flyout instead. Bohm laced the first pitch he saw in the top of the fourth with two outs and men on second and third but hit it directly at left fielder Ian Happ to end the inning. Realmuto hit a ball on a line with two on and two out in the eighth and Pete Crow-Armstrong needed to glide only a few feet to catch it.

“J.T. hits a bullet, Bohm hits a bullet,” Thomson recalled, shaking his head. “But we’ve got to create some runs, we’ve got to swing the bats better.”

Taijuan Walker (1-2, 2.78 ERA) lasted only three innings because he threw 86 pitches. He again limited the damage and his opponents have hit .179 this season with men on base. The bullpen did its job by allowing two runs over five innings.

But the Phillies couldn’t capitalize on the Cubs’ inability to break the game open, which was also one of the stories of their three-game series at Citi Field. The Cubs were 4-for-22 with runners in scoring position and all of that execution from the pitching staff didn’t matter.

These vets pride themselves on their ability to persevere. Less than a month into the season, it’s already being tested.

“It’s such a long season. You’re gonna go through a long stretch like this where things aren’t going your way,” Walker said. “It really just depends when it happens, you know? We’d rather do it now than late in the season. If we get it out of the way now, can get on a streak and play some good baseball, which I know we can do.”

Bochy reflects on Giants memories with Posey, Crawford in return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — As he returned to face the Giants in San Francisco on Friday, Bruce Bochy was in a tie for first place in the American League West, but he had a lot on his mind. 

The Texas Rangers have underperformed at the plate, led by familiar face Joc Pederson, who somehow has zero RBI through 21 appearances. On Thursday, they got walked off in Sacramento by the Athletics, and a day after that gut punch, Bochy began his media session by giving a lengthy update on promising young starter Kumar Rocker, who just went on the IL with a shoulder injury. 

The Rangers have a lot to sort out, but Bochy is thrilled he’s doing it in San Francisco this weekend. He said this spring that he was excited to be visiting on a weekend when the organization would honor his longtime shortstop, Brandon Crawford, and on Saturday, Bochy will watch that ceremony. On his first day in town, he had a long chat with Buster Posey behind the plate during batting practice. 

As he settled into San Francisco for the second time as Rangers manager, Bochy discussed Crawford, Posey and more with local reporters: 

On Crawford’s big weekend

“It’s well deserved. This man did so much for us in helping us win championships. He was a tremendous player, a gifted defender obviously, but also a clutch hitter. A lot of great memories will go through my head when I see him out there tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it because of the great memories that we all got to share together. He was such a big part of it.”

Does any play stand out?

“He was so creative with how he could come up with plays. There wasn’t a play that he didn’t think he could make and that’s what you love about him, and there were times he came up with a way to make the play. The one that always will stand out is the double play in the World Series with what was at stake, he and [Joe] Panik, what a beautiful chemistry those two had.”

On Posey’s influence on the 2025 Giants

“I’d say as much as anything they’re playing loose and playing the game right. You know, BoMel [Bob Melvin] does such a great job here, and I’m sure Buster has helped relax things with how approachable he is and how well he communicates. But it’s hard for me to say, because I haven’t seen a lot of [the Giants].”

Could he have imagined Posey being a president of baseball operations?

“I can’t say I should be surprised. I talk about [the] leadership he provided for us and helped us get some World Series rings. He’s a leader and I’m not surprised to see him leading an organization. I’m sure it’s done a lot for the fans, the players, the front office, to have their guy that’s leading the way now.”

On being back for a second time

“I think as time goes, yeah, you still have those memories and the first time there’s emotions and things, but with more time away, you’ve gotten kind of used to it. I came in here knowing I would see some friends here. The first time was a really crazy time, but this time has been a lot quieter.”

On his impression of Jung Hoo Lee

“A really, really nice player. He’s a really good hitter, a gifted center fielder, a good thrower. He’s a really nice all-around baseball player and I know he’s done a great job.”

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