WASHINGTON Jeff McNeil appeared to have turned a corner on the Mets last road trip, but his latest turn is toward the bench. After a 5-for-32 (.156) homestand, the slumping second baseman was absent from the lineup as the Mets began their three-game series against the Nationals on Monday. It was the second time in four games that Jose Iglesias , but unlike the last instance the desire to give McNeil a rest wasnt cited by manager Carlos Mendoza. Were giving Jeff another day to continue to work on some things and get back on track, Mendoza said before the Mets . Jeff McNeil, pictured earlier this season, wasnt in the lineup when the Mets faced the Nationals on Monday. Robert Sabo for the NY Post Iglesias produced big on this night, finishing 3-for-5 with an RBI and stolen base. Its a perfect time for me to be on this great team that wants to win, and contribute and continue to communicate with the players like we have been doing said the veteran infielder Iglesias, who was selected from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday. Explore More Theres so many ways that you can contribute to a team, not nece sarily with the bat or the defense. Bryan Watson Jersey Theres the energy and you keep pushing teammates and supporting them. Its about vibe. McNeil, according to Mendoza, is lifting the ball too much. Hes a guy that won a batting title by hitting line drives from line to line and right now were not seeing that consistently, Mendoza said. Theres been stretches of a couple of games where you go, OK, hes back, and then he goes some games where he is just mi sing pitches. We want him to square baseballs and hit line drives the way he is capable. Jeff McNeil has struggled against both lefties and righties this season. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post The Mets are trying to get Jeff McNeil back on track, manager Carlos Mendoza said. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post McNeil homered in consecutive games two weeks ago in Cleveland as part of a 7-for-23 (.304) stretch, but entering play had only one extra-base hit since then and was without a multi-hit game. The fact lefty MacKenzie Gore started for the Nationals likely weighed into Mendozas decision. But McNeil has equally underperformed against lefties and righties this season. Against righties entering play he had a .618 OPS. Against lefties he had a .613 OPS. Overall he owned a disappointing .227/.296/.320 slash line with three homers and 14 RBIs. Mendoza was noncommittal about the po sibility of a platoon between McNeil and Iglesias. 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! When [McNeil] is on it doesnt matter who is on the mound, Mendoza said. Hes pretty good against lefties when hes on. When hes feeling right this is not strictly a righty or lefty matchup. Its just more getting Jeff back on track. Right now he is working through something. Phil Bourque Jersey