Second baseman Jeff McNeil has a low-grade oblique strain and will miss the start of the regular season, manager Carlos Mendoza announced Thursday. McNeil will be shut down 7-10 days and the Mets expect him to miss 3-4 weeks overall.

Second baseman Jeff McNeil suffered a low-grade strain of his right oblique this week, manager Carlos Mendoza revealed Thursday. The Mets expect him to miss three or four weeks — which, since the season begins in two weeks, means he likely will sit out for the first couple of series at least.

In a vacuum, Jeff McNeil’s injury is “a minor hiccup,” as the second baseman put it -- an unfortunate case of a right oblique strain with two weeks to go until Opening Day. It should not sideline McNeil past mid-April.