Brandon Nimmo says his heart is fine, extra tests were precautionary
Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Brandon Nimmo had been through this before, in 2016, so it wasn’t a total surprise to him when the Mets told him on Wednesday that he needed additional cardiac tests after something had popped up on his spring training physical.
“I was like, ‘Oh, come on guys,’” Nimmo said. “I knew it would turn into something more than it was, but it’s all right. It’s part of it.”
Nimmo meant the news would turn into something once he was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup — his wife even weighed in on Twitter to quell any fears — and not that he was worried he actually had a heart problem.
Nimmo said he wore a monitoring device for 24 hours and then had a stress test on a treadmill. The 26-year-old said Friday the tests showed he had “an irregular heartbeat. But it doesn’t affect me . . . I’m healthy. I guess I have a little bit larger heart. I’ve got a lot of love to give.”
And with that, a smiling Nimmo was restored to the lineup for Friday’s exhibition game against the Cardinals after two frustrating days without any baseball activity. He went 1-for-2 in the Mets’ 3-2 victory over the Cardinals at Clover Park.
“No medication, no nothing,” Nimmo said. “I wasn’t concerned. Just more frustrated on my end. But I understood. The heart’s a different thing. You want to check all the boxes. This was something that happened in 2016, that I had to be pulled aside for. So it’s something that I’ve had, but they just wanted to recheck it. I didn’t want to miss those two games. But from the Mets’ standpoint, it was more about looking out for my health and just making sure they checked all the boxes.”
One of the boxes Nimmo’s wife, Chelsea Jane, checked was the one to get people not to panic. On Wednesday, she posted on Twitter:
“I’m just gonna say it. Brandon is fine (other than wishing he could just do his thing & play!) The timing was inconvenient & has caused a media storm. He’s healthy and feels great, just have to be sure of these things. Hopefully, we can get this all cleared up and move forward! P.S. I also apologize in advance if this breaks any rules I don’t know about.”
Said Brandon Nimmo: “She surprised me with that. It seemed like everyone was pretty concerned. Honestly, for the Mets and me, it was more of a precaution. Everyone was pretty concerned, sending out prayers, and she just wanted to relay that it’s not that serious.”
Nimmo was limited to 69 games in 2019 because of a bulging disc in his neck and hit just .221 with a .783 OPS. He is expected to platoon with Jake Marisnick in centerfield this season.
The Mets also pulled non-roster first baseman Matt Adams from Thursday’s lineup for the same reason, additional cardiac tests. The results had not been revealed as of Friday morning, but general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Thursday: “Neither player has had any symptoms that cause concern. This is just making sure we’re dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on all the tests.”
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
