Jeff McNeil not expected to start for Mets in Game 3 of NLCS

Jeff McNeil is not expected to start Game 3 of the NLCS when the Mets face the Dodgers at Citi Field, reports SNY’s Andy Martino.

Martino notes that there had been some speculation as to whether Game 3 would be the night the Mets tried to work McNeil into the lineup.

With second baseman Jose Iglesias having struggled badly this postseason, giving McNeil a shot against right-hander Walker Buehler would’ve made sense.

Buehler allowed left-handers to OPS .890 against him during the regular season.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is expected to start Game 4, actually had reverse splits this season. He held lefties to a .193/.258/.267 triple slash, while righties hit .263/.291/.453 against him.

McNeil, who was added to the NLCS roster after being out since Sept. 6 due to a fractured wrist, was on a tear before his injury.

From July 23 to Sept. 6 — a span of 136 plate appearances over 37 games — McNeil slashed .285/.382/.491 (.874 OPS) with 12 doubles, four homers, 14 RBI, and 19 runs scored.

Regarding Iglesias, he has not done well in the playoffs. And as his struggles have deepened, Iglesias’ at-bats have gotten less competitive, with him chasing pitches down out of the zone with regularity.

In 69 plate appearances during the playoffs, Iglesias is slashing just .226/.273/.222.

He has struck out 13 times while drawing only three walks, and does not have an extra-base hit.

Iglesias’ calling card isn’t his power, but he was strong in that regard during the regular season, slugging .448.

As Iglesias’ bat has gone cold, he has dropped from fifth to seventh in the lineup.