Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos were both out of lineup Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers after injuries took them out of action the night prior in the series opener. Mark Vientos could be available off the bench later in the game, but it sounds unlikely that Nimmo will be able to play in the series.
Vientos felt an abdominal muscle tighten up Friday afternoon before the Mets started a series against the defending World Series champs. He was slated to hit second and play third base, but was scratched late and replaced in the lineup by Starling Marte, who took his spot there again for Game 2. The issue is considered to be relatively minor, but the Mets wanted to be cautious.
Two positive indicators with Vientos: An oblique injury was ruled out, and he was able to hit in the cages Saturday.
But with Nimmo, it’s a different story. The outfielder removed himself after a rain delay Friday night in the Mets’ 7-5 extra-inning loss with a stiff neck, unable to move it to the right. It’s something that occurs periodically as a result of a bulging disk from a collision with the wall in 2019.
That injury took Nimmo out of action for most of the season, which is exactly what he’s trying to avoid this time.
“We’ve been really good with the training staff and myself about being able to keep it under control and at bay,” Nimmo said. “But sometimes with the travel and just everything, sometimes it pops its ugly head and takes a few days to deal with it.”
The 32-year-old team leader told Mendoza he “couldn’t pull the trigger” on his first at-bat Friday night. He still managed to make a leaping grab at the wall in left field to rob Will Smith of extra bases in the top of the second, which did not aggravate the neck.
“It doesn’t help, but it wasn’t great before that point,” Nimmo said. “Good thing that was over the left so I was able to turn and make the play on that one no problem. But yeah, turning to the right was very, very limited today. I was going to try and just change my whole setup in my swing in order to be able to play.”
In the past, it’s taken 2-3 days for the soreness to subside with rest, muscle relaxers and treatment. He received treatment from the trainers Saturday afternoon but manager Carlos Mendoza was still unsure of his availability before the game.
ROSTER MOVES
After emptying their bullpen and their bench in a 13-inning, late night/early morning affair with the Dodgers, the Mets brought in reinforcements from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. Infielder/outfielder Jared Young and left-hander Brandon Waddell were both called up from Triple-A Syracuse.
The bench was short without Vientos and Nimmo on Friday night, and since the Mets didn’t make a roster move for Nimmo, they’ll play shorthanded again. Young, who plays first base and outfield, gives Mendoza defensive versatility in later innings, and a left-handed bat to replace Nimmo’s.
Waddell was set to start today for Syracuse so he can provide length out of the bullpen.
Left-hander Genesis Cabrera and outfielder Jose Azocar were designated for assignment to make room on the roster.
Right-hander Griffin Canning, who started Friday’s game before the rain delay, will stay on the same schedule. He threw during the rain delay with the hope of resuming his outing after the rain, but the Mets shut him down when the delay became too lengthy.
POLAR PLUNGE
Pete Alonso was hitting just about everything over the first month of the season, but the Polar Bear has cooled considerably in recent weeks. He hasn’t homered in his last 67 plate appearances, the longest homer-less stretch of his career. His OPS has gone from 1.143 to .918 over 15 games without a home run.
The Mets are clearly missing the power.
“I think he’s just missing good pitches to hit in the strike zone,” Mendoza said. “Early on, he got out of the gate with the way he was swinging the bat. Fastballs in the strike zone — he wasn’t missing them. I feel like he’s swinging through a lot of pitches in the strike zone. That happens, players are going to go through stretches like this. He’s still a dangerous hitter, and yeah, it’s rare for him to go 15 games or so. Hopefully he hits one tonight.”
