Access the Mets beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets from spring training
PORT ST. LUCIE — Brandon Nimmo’s return to Grapefruit League action on Thursday went fine, but he’ll be dealing with his right knee soreness for the foreseeable future and is still unsure of when he’ll get back in the Mets outfield.
Nimmo is scheduled to be back at designated hitter on Saturday, even as he acknowledged that pain remains in his knee after he had three DH at-bats Thursday at Clover Park.
“For sure, there’s definitely still some soreness [and] still some pain when I get above those levels,’’ Nimmo said of when he runs at more than 80 percent even after receiving a gel injection in the knee. “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.”
There’s still a bit of mystery as to what created the soreness, though Nimmo said he likely attributes it to a “tweak” he made in his swing this spring.
“In spring training, you’re always trying to find the last 10 percent of your swing,” Nimmo said. “I think I [ticked] it off with something I did there. Hindsight is 20/20. I wish I hadn’t done that. Now we know and move on.”
Nimmo wonders if ACL reconstruction in his right knee, when he was playing high school football 15 years ago, played a role in his current injury.
While the soreness now is not in the ACL, he said because of that long-ago injury, it added stress to his MCL and cartilage.
Coupled with the wear and tear of having played in the majors for nearly 10 years, Nimmo said, “You start to need a little bit of extra help on some things.”
Asked if he might need to explore a procedure on the knee following the season, Nimmo said, “I’m really hoping not. The hope is you can still go many more years without arthroscopic surgery or anything like that, but I don’t know the future. We’ll deal with that when we get there. Right now, this is the best course of action. I’ll try to get out there [in the outfield] as soon as possible.”
For now, he wants his knee to be at least “90-95 percent” before he attempts to play the field.
He’s been tracking balls and doing other drills in the field and has so far been hesitant to push it more than that.
“Here’s the thing: Out in the outfield, my most valuable asset is my legs,” Nimmo said. “So when I’m able to run at 100 percent, I’m gonna be a better outfielder. … The biggest thing for the outfield is we’re trying to heal and let the knee get better.”
As to whether he might be able to play defense or just DH by Opening Day on March 27, Nimmo said, “We’re trying to progress every day and see if we can get a little bit of gain every day. I don’t know what that means for Opening Day. I know we’re trying to get at-bats. As soon as I can get close to 100 percent, then I’ll be able to play the outfield. Before that point, I’d probably do more harm than good to try to get out there before I’m ready.”
Carlos Mendoza said he’s not concerned about Nimmo’s availability for the start of the season.
“We’ll be flexible,’’ Mendoza said. “The trainers said it could turn any day. I wouldn’t be surprised if pretty soon he says he’s ready to go. We’ve still got two weeks. We’ve still got time.”
And on the bright side, the plantar fasciitis that has bothered Nimmo since last year has improved.
“It’s kind of funny,’’ Nimmo said. “I left that behind and then had the knee come up.”