The New York Mets have a few key players making their way back from injury. Brandon Nimmo and Dedniel Núnez are set to take huge steps on Monday.
The build up for both key New York Mets players has been slow, but progress has been made as Brandon Nimmo and Dedniel Núñez are set to take significant steps on Monday, March 17.
Nimmo will play left field in the Mets’ Grapefruit League matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays. This is the first time Nimmo will be playing the outfield since Feb. 28 due to knee soreness. He is also coming off plantar fasciitis, which was re-aggravated in the NLDS last October.
On Friday, Nimmo was asked by reporters if he could begin the regular season as the DH, which he is hopeful for, but was unsure if he would be ready by then as a hitter or fielder.
“Yeah. I don’t really know right now. I’m hopeful for it, but I also know that if you’re not playing near 100%, at least I’m thinking 90-95%, then you’re probably more of a liability out there,” he said. “So I’ll go and progress every day and do my best to be ready for the outfield Opening Day.”
Fast forward to Monday and it’s a promising sign that Nimmo is now deemed ready by the Mets training staff to get back in the outfield. Nimmo has been slowed all of camp due to lower body ailments, but it appears that he is about to turn a corner just in time for Opening Day, which is coming in 10 days.
As for Núñez, who is expected to be a big part of the Mets’ bullpen again this year, the right-hander is making his spring debut today. Núñez has been taking things slow as a result of a pronator strain suffered last summer. Núñez was able to avoid surgery in the offseason and is now doing what he can to be ready when the Mets head to Houston in less than two weeks.
Núñez threw two live batting practice sessions last week and as a result will now pitch in live game action on Monday for the first time since August 2024.
“We don’t want to rush this. If he’s ready for Opening Day, great. If not, we’ll listen to him. It’s been a long road for him as well,” Mendoza said of Núñez.
It’s a good sign that Núñez is on track to pitch in his first Grapefruit League game. If all goes well it appears that the righty reliever could have a decent shot at being ready for Opening Day.
Mendoza reiterated that the Mets need to be careful with how they push Núñez moving forward because the real goal is to have him available and healthy for the long haul in 2025.
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