Mets' Brandon Nimmo expects to play this week
Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo during a spring training workout on Feb. 24 in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Brandon Nimmo reiterated Saturday that he is fully healthy and said he intends to begin playing in Grapefruit League contests this week.
For now, he is upping his workload in nongame contexts, slow to join the lineup by design. Nimmo simply does not care that much about these practice games.
“The most important thing about spring training is leaving healthy,” he said. “You’re going to get 700 at-bats during the year. At some point, you’re going to catch up. I know you want to be prepared for the first ones, but let’s be honest, I’ve been playing for seven years now. When the lights turn on, I’m going to be ready to go.”
Nimmo previously said he was planning to debut around this weekend, but that got pushed back as he waits to hit certain thresholds in the buildup of his other work.
“In order to get there, you’ll have high-load days that you do two in a row,” he said. “Then you come in the next day and it’s like, you know what, body is kind of aching a little bit, let’s pull it back. So give me a day of rest. Then we’ll go two more days in a row, see how we’re doing. Those kind of deals.”
In the meantime, Nimmo has been a frequent participant in live batting practice, facing the likes of Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, Edwin Diaz and others.
Confident in the caliber of player he is, especially after signing an eight-year, $162 million contract to stay with the Mets, Nimmo doesn’t have anybody to impress during camp. So he is doing what he thinks gives him the best chance to repeat 2022, the best year of his career.
“It’s just a shift of perspective, honestly,” he said. “I’m not trying to make a team anymore. It’s all about being available for my guys.”
Ouch
David Peterson went for X-rays, manager Buck Showalter said, after being struck on the outside of the left foot by a ground ball hit by Nick Fortes.
He remained in the game, throwing seven more pitches to two batters (walking one of them), before exiting with a “pretty sore” foot, as Showalter described it. “I could tell — you get to know a guy — there might be a little bit more going on there to finish the inning,” Showalter said.
Next up
Senga, who starred in Japan for a decade, will make his first Mets start Sunday against the Cardinals.
“You’re looking for what you might [be able to] help him with,” manager Buck Showalter said. “It’s new for him, but it’s still pitching. It’s still a baseball. It’s still hitters trying to do damage. I think once he gets into the heat of pitching, he’ll be in his element . . . I think we’re all looking forward to getting that first one out of the way.”
Fellow starter Jose Quintana will follow Senga, his last exhibition action before joining Colombia for the World Baseball Classic.
Extra bases
Before the Mets’ 15-4 win over the Marlins, Showalter got a visit in his office from former Giants/ Patriots/Jets/Cowboys coach Bill Parcells. “Parcells shows up,” he said, “and we score two touchdowns.” . . . Mark Vientos went 3-for-4 with two homers, both to straightaway center, and five RBIs. “I was messing around with Brett [Baty] and Ronny [Mauricio] the other day,” he said. “I was like, you guys have some [home runs]. I gotta get me one. I finally got me one — two — today, so it’s nice to get them out of the way.” . . . Abraham Almonte was hit by a pitch twice during the Mets’ six-run fourth inning . . . Showalter recently spoke with Mark DeRosa, manager of the United States WBC team, which will include four Mets, and offered advice: “Make sure they all come back healthy.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
