McNeal, Acuna both make Mets' NLCS roster; Ottavino is off

LOS ANGELES — Looking for speed and defense over bullpen depth, the Mets placed Luis Angel Acuna on their National League Championship Series roster at the expense of veteran reliever Adam Ottavino.

Acuna, a rookie infielder who joined the team in late September when Francisco Lindor injured himself, was on New York's playoff roster during the Wild Card and NL Division Series rounds. He was seemingly expendable for the NLCS, but Jeff McNeil is set to return from a broken right wrist.

Instead, both players made the roster. McNeil will likely serve as a left-handed bench bat and a part-time starter at second base and right field, while Acuna will reprise the role he played in the first two rounds of the playoffs: a late-game defensive sub who gives the manager responsibilities. Carlos Mendoza's flexibility in getting third baseman Mark Vientos off the field.

Often this postseason, Mendoza has Vientos and Starling Marte out of games late, Jose Iglesias has moved from second to third base, Acuna is at second, Harrison Bader is playing center field and Tyronn Taylor is moving to right.

Acuna is arguably the top stolen-base threat on the roster with 40 bags in 131 games at Triple-A Syracuse. He has yet to attempt a steal during the playoffs.

“Versatility, speed — there's a lot to like,” Mendoza said of Acuna. “In a series like this, it allows us to be a little more aggressive when we need to be.”

The move leaves the Mets a little short in the bullpen, especially during best-of-seven series. But with starting pitchers David Peterson and Tyler Magill serving as full-time relievers during the playoffs, the Mets feature more length in their bullpen than most teams.

Still, it was a tough decision given the veteran status of the 38-year-old Ottavino, who has served as a team leader while playing a key role in New York's bullpen the past three seasons. He and left-hander Danny Young were both unused through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Ottavino finished the regular season on a relatively strong run, allowing no runs in nine of his last 10 games, but he held a 4.34 ERA overall.

“I'm not going to go into detail, but he handled it very professionally,” Mendoza said of his conversation with Ottavino. “He's a professional, right? And he gets it. He's not happy, because he wants to contribute, but he'll do what needs to be done for this team.”

Young has made the NLCS roster and will be an option to pitch in low-leverage situations against Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and other Dodgers lefties. The rest of the Mets' roster is unchanged:

Catcher (2): Francisco Alvarez, Luis Torrance

Infielder (6): Pete Alonso, Jose Iglesias, Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, Luisangel Acuna

Outfielder (5): Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, Sterling Marte, Harrison Bader, Jesse Winker

Starting Pitchers (4): Kodai Senga, Shawn Mania, Luis Severino, Jose Quintana

Relief Urns (8): Edwin Diaz, Ryan Stanek, Phil Mutton, David Peterson, Reed Garrett, Jose Batto, Tyler Magill, Danny Young