Nimmo talks knee soreness: 'I think Opening Day is realistic'

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Brandon Nimmo the designated hitter expects to be ready for Opening Day. Brandon Nimmo the left fielder isn’t quite as sure.

A day after appearing in his first Grapefruit League game since receiving a gel injection in his sore right knee, Nimmo expressed optimism regarding Opening Day, but also revealed some troubling details regarding the source of his pain. Nimmo’s soreness, he said, stems from meniscus and cartilage issues possibly related to an ACL reconstruction surgery he underwent 15 years ago.

While Nimmo doesn’t believe he’ll need further surgical work on his knee, this is still a situation he must manage carefully. Any setback could jeopardize Opening Day for him -- even as a DH.

“I think Opening Day is realistic,” Nimmo said. “But if we take any steps backwards, that will be detrimental to it.”

Asked specifically about the source of his pain, Nimmo responded: “The diagnosis is you’re an athlete and you’ve been playing in the big leagues and professional sports for a while now, and it’s just one of those things where you kind of start to need a little bit of extra help on some things.”

With less than two weeks until the Mets’ March 27 opener, Nimmo has amassed only five Grapefruit League plate appearances. He’s scheduled to DH again later this weekend and should have little trouble getting the at-bats he needs -- so long as he stays healthy.

The outfield is another matter. Currently, Nimmo believes he can run at about 80 percent of his usual speed. Until he feels 95 percent or better, he said, he risks hurting the Mets defensively.

If Nimmo can’t play the field, the Mets could replace him with either Jesse Winker or Tyrone Taylor. A third option, Starling Marte, is dealing with knee issues of his own and has not played the field this spring.

Manager Carlos Mendoza did offer confidence that Nimmo would return to left field before Opening Day, but Nimmo wasn’t quite as sure.

“Right now, all I know is that we’re trying to progress every day and see if we can get a little bit of gain every day,” Nimmo said. “I don’t know what that means for Opening Day right now. I just know that we’re trying to get the at-bats, and as soon as I can get close to 100 percent, then we’ll be able to play the outfield. But before that point, it’s probably going to do more harm than good to try to get out there.”

Tuning up
Kodai Senga, who made sense as a potential Opening Day starter before Mendoza gave that assignment to Clay Holmes, was hit hard Friday against the Cardinals. Senga took the mound four times but didn’t finish one of those innings, recording 10 outs in total and allowing two runs on seven hits. Three of those hits went for extra bases, including a Yohel Pozo two-run homer.

• Check out Senga's new pitch -- 'The Miracle Ball'

Still, Senga said, he should be ready for one of the Mets’ first five games of the regular season.

“I have a growing understanding of where my body is and what I can and cannot do at this point,” Senga said through an interpreter. “In the next two weeks, I hope to fix those and hit Opening Day.”

The Pursuit
The Mets released Episode 1 of The Pursuit, a documentary detailing their offseason pursuit of Juan Soto, Friday on the team’s YouTube channel. The film includes interviews with Soto, Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen, president of baseball operations David Stearns and others.

“Ever since we signed Juan Soto, the sports world has been buzzing and fans have been seeking more detail on what went into this historic acquisition for the club,” Mets vice president of creative content and creative director Bobby Clemens said in a statement. “We wanted to tell this story in a way that gave our fans a true, behind-the-scenes look unlike anything they have experienced in the past.”

The Mets plan to release Episode 2 of The Pursuit on March 21. Their YouTube channel will also feature additional bonus content throughout March.