Mets outfielder limited by right knee soreness

Brandon Nimmo played in his second spring training game on Thursday, serving as the Mets’ designated hitter against the Red Sox.  It was Nimmo’s first on-field action in over a week, as right knee soreness and a gel injection to battle inflammation kept the outfielder on the sidelines.  The Mets were already taking Nimmo’s ramp-up slowly in a nod to the plantar fasciitis issue that bothered him for much of 2024. Yet, Nimmo told the New York Post’s Dan Martin and other reporters that his left foot is no longer much of a concern, or at least less of a problem than his knee.

Regarding what caused the knee issue, Nimmo feels that his swing adjustment this spring added some extra stress to his joint. He also cited some longstanding MCL and cartilage damage based on a torn ACL he suffered 15 years ago when he was a high school football player. While Nimmo has had plenty of injury problems during his baseball career, his right knee has remained stable.

At the moment, Nimmo said he can only run at about 80 percent of his usual level. 

“For sure, there’s definitely still some soreness [and] still some pain when I get above those levels,” Nimmo said.  “We try to keep things at a controlled level of pain.  Up to a certain threshold is OK, but if you go much past that, then you do more damage than you’re trying to gain.”

The plan is for Nimmo to get into the “90-95 percent” range before focusing on more high-impact outfield activity beyond tracking balls and other light drills.  Anything less, and Nimmo feels he could be putting both his knee and the Mets’ outfield defense at risk.  Regarding overall readiness, both Nimmo and manager Carlos Mendoza were cautiously optimistic that Nimmo should be ready for Opening Day in at least a DH capacity.

The Mets have already been hit hard by injuries this spring, as Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil will all start the season on the injured list. Nick Madrigal’s season has probably already been ended by shoulder surgery.  A DH-only version of Nimmo wouldn’t help with this lack of depth, though Jesse Winker or Tyrone Taylor could step into left field in the interim.  However, if Nimmo is limited to DH, Starling Marte could be crowded out of more at-bats.