Brandon Nimmo gets day off as Mets play it safe
Brandon Nimmo of the Mets walks off the field with manager Buck Showalter #after being injuried on a play in the first inning against the Brewers during a game at American Family Field on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Credit: Getty Images/Patrick McDermott
OAKLAND, Calif. — Brandon Nimmo, feeling fine and planning to play, was surprised when he showed up to the ballpark Saturday morning and manager Buck Showalter told him no thank you.
Showalter already had been encouraged by the Mets’ medical staff to keep Nimmo out of the lineup — but just this once, they say.
“Talking to our trainers and everybody today, if we do this today [and by] Tuesday we should have this behind us,” Showalter said before the Mets’ 10-4 loss to the Athletics. “That got my attention.”
Nimmo said: “I said, ‘I feel good, I’m fine.’ They said, ‘That’s great. Let’s keep it that way.’ That was about the extent of the conversation . . . It should be all clear after today.”
Nimmo has dealt with a tight left quadriceps in recent days. It happened Wednesday, but he was good enough to play Friday without missing a game.
The Mets’ schedule lends itself to managing a minor injury such as this. By giving Nimmo this one game off, he’ll be on an every-other-day schedule for a week, given the way the team’s off days fall.
“It’s a quick turnaround [in the day game after a night game] and we don’t want to take any chances there,” Showalter said. “They said they feel good, or pretty good. I want to keep him that way.”
Marte to get checked
Because the Mets were sending Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker, who will pitch against the Marlins this week, back to New York on Saturday, they decided to send Starling Marte back with them.
Marte’s fractured right middle finger has not healed as quickly as he hoped, so as Showalter put it, “No reason for him to stay around here.”
Instead, he’ll get another round of medical imaging, probably on Sunday, according to Showalter. The Mets wanted to do that anyway around the three-week mark, but now they’ll do it a day early.
“We’re not making big strides, but it is getting a tad better each day,” Showalter said.
As the rotation turns
Showalter mentioned that Chris Bassitt might make his next start on seven days of rest, which would mean next Saturday against Atlanta. That suggests the Mets are at least considering flipping him and Jacob deGrom, who would pitch Friday — and thus be available for Game 162, if necessary, on Oct. 5.
That is one of several rotation permutations possible for the Mets, given their two off days in the next week.
Vientos heats up
Adjusting to the major leagues is tough. Adjusting to the major leagues when you’re suddenly a part-time player is even tougher.
That has been life lately for Mark Vientos, who entered Friday 1-for-18 in eight games across almost two weeks with the Mets. He collected his first multi-hit game Friday and his first homer Saturday, the first time he has started consecutive games.
“I see it as a new thing that I gotta get used to,” Vientos, who has started only against lefthanders, said of not playing every day. “Whatever they need me for, I’m ready.”
Is that hard?
“Baseball is hard. Baseball is hard,” Vientos said with a smile of acknowledgment. “But this is a game I love and I love doing it and I love working.”
Showalter said: “I understand that it’s a little different for him, having to look at a [lineup] card to see if he’s in there. That’s the way most people break in up here.”
Extra bases
Luis Guillorme left in the eighth inning because of a large, uncomfortable welt on his right (throwing) forearm. That was the result of his getting hit by a slider in the fourth. He said he’ll be OK . . . Francisco Lindor’s sacrifice fly in the first was his 100th RBI of the season, putting him in the triple-digit club with Pete Alonso (123). This is the first time the Mets have multiple players with 100 RBIs since 2008, when they had three (David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado).
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.
