The New York Mets have already dealt with too many injuries, and now they have another one to navigate with Opening Day around the corner. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo has dealt with a knee issue of late, which has limited him to being a designated hitter in the lineup in Spring Training.
Mets’ Brandon Nimmo could DH as he deals with knee injury
Nimmo spoke to reporters about the possibility of starting the season as a DH. He said, in essence, that he is not sure what his role will look like at the start of the season as he nurses the injury.
“I don’t know right now. I mean, right now, all I know is that we’re trying to progress every day and see if we can get a little bit of gain every day,” Nimmo said, via SNY. “I don’t know what that means for Opening Day right now, I just know that we’re trying to get the at-bats, and as soon as I can get close to 100%, then I’ll be able to play the outfield.”
The Mets loaded up on outfield depth in the offseason, so they should approach Nimmo’s issue with great caution. They added Juan Soto, Jose Siri, and Jesse Winker all in free agency, so they have the pieces that can take over the workload in the outfield.
The Mets need Nimmo to be healthy
Nevertheless, the Mets want Nimmo to be fully healthy and play the field, as he is one of the top defensive center fielders in baseball. They have already dealt with huge losses before the regular season has begun, with Francisco Alvarez (hand), Sean Manaea (oblique), and Frankie Montas all dealing with long-term injuries.
Nimmo figures to be an impactful part of the Mets’ lineup this season, so they cannot afford to lose him for a significant amount of time. Last season, he had a down year at the plate with just a .224 batting average, but he still blasted 23 home runs and drove in 90 runs while also logging a career-high 15 stolen bases.
The hope is that his knee issue does not linger into the regular season and he can be 100% very soon.