Mets in waiting game on Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha
The New York Mets celebrated Mets legend Gil Hodges before an MLB baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on Saturday, April 16, 2022. Gil Hodges Jr., Cynthia Hodges, and great grandsons Louis Savelli and Logan Ojeda stand with Joe Torre before throwing out ceremonial first pitches. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Mets were without outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha for the second straight day on Saturday after both were placed on the COVID-19 list just before Friday’s home opener.
Manager Buck Showalter said before Saturday’s game versus Arizona that he and others were testing daily to make sure the outbreak that has hit the two players, bench coach Glenn Sherlock and an unnamed staffer does not spread further.
“So far, so good,” Showalter said. “No lineup changes yet. [Friday] I did about six or seven. That was a lot of fun: ‘Welcome to Opening Day.’
“But it’s nothing to be flippant about, trust me. We take it very seriously and our trainers and doctors . . . it’s a constant [situation] you’ve got to stay on top of. I keep reminding the players to be diligent regardless of where we are in the country as a whole. Only takes one or two and you’ve got a real problem in your clubhouse.”
Nimmo and Canha can return once they are cleared according to MLB rules as there is no minimum stay on the COVID list. Canha is vaccinated. Nimmo has declined to say if he is vaccinated.
Hodges honored
One day after unveiling the Tom Seaver statue outside Citi Field, the Mets honored late former manager Gil Hodges with a pregame ceremony that included his extended family.
Hodges, who led the Mets to the World Series title in 1969, died in 1972 at the age of 47. He was elected to the Hall of Fame last December by the Golden Days Era Committee and will be inducted into Cooperstown on July 24.
The wait for Hodges to get elected after several near-misses was excruciating for the family. The news was a great joy to his 95-year-old widow, Joan, who — as her daughter Irene said — watches baseball “all day and night.”
“Of course, we all thought he deserved it years ago,” Irene Hodges said. “But that’s irrelevant at this point. The only thing that matters is he finally is in the Hall of Fame, where he belongs. For him. For us, to a degree, but mostly for my dad.”
Hodges was a slugging, slick-fielding first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers before he became the manager of the Mets and led them to their improbable World Series triumph. He was known as a no-nonsense leader who commanded the respect of his players and others around him with a quiet dignity.
“He walked into a room,” Showalter said, “He could command a room. You knew who the leader of the room was. He was it without saying a word. Very quietly, he was one of the great pillars of the Mets’ history.”
Joe Torre, the former Mets and Yankees manager who is a special assistant to the commissioner, said: “I can’t tell you how happy I am for the Hodges family. It’s been a mission of mercy for them and — especially with Gil dying so young — to get the recognition that he has received and will receive. He was a special individual. Class, class, class, class.”
Minaya’s son eyes NBA
Former Mets general manager Omar Minaya, who was on hand for both the Seaver and Hodges ceremonies, had another reason to beam: His son Justin, a wing player who starred on the Providence team that reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 before losing to eventual champion Kansas, is going pro.
Justin Minaya made the decision to forgo his final season of eligibility and enter the NBA draft on April 6.
“His goal is to play in the NBA,” Minaya said. “I think that there will be an opportunity to maybe play overseas, maybe G League, but his end goal will be to play in the NBA. We’re hopeful that that will happen someday.”
Omar Minaya was hired by MLB in February as a consultant on international and domestic amateur scouting.
Trainer's room
Trevor May, who had been out with a triceps strain, pitched a scoreless eighth . . . Taijuan Walker, who is on the IL with shoulder bursitis, is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday and, if all goes well, will go out on a minor-league rehab assignment.
Ducks contact Conforto
Long Island Ducks manager Wally Backman says the Ducks have reached out to former Met Michael Conforto to gauge his interest in using the Ducks as a "spring training" team before he signs a major-league contract, but have not heard if that interest is mutual. Conforto, who played for the Mets from 2015-21, is an unsigned free agent.
— Jordan Lauterbach
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
