Brandon Nimmo expected in Mets lineup vs. Reds on Saturday

New York outfielder set to miss just one game with minor hamstring tightness

Mar 5, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets second baseman Zack Short (74) advances to / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Nimmo, who was withheld from the New York Mets lineup in the first game of a three-game road series against the Cincinnati Reds, is set to play on Saturday.

Nimmo announced he is “feeling good” and expects to return after sitting out just one game.

https://x.com/timbhealey/status/1776344801459204462?s=42&t=DMu0ACE3MVcdXpSuxvuVWA

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza says Nimmo has been dealing with minor hamstring tightness but “checked out pretty good,” explaining his absence from the lineup Friday vs. the Reds and why the organization anticipates it won’t be a serious issue for the outfielder moving forward.

https://twitter.com/AnthonyDiComo/status/1776340342226198637

The 31-year old perennial leadoff hitter, who recently celebrated his birthday on March 27, is off to the worst start in his nine-year Major League career. As Nimmo goes, the Mets offense goes; his struggles – batting with an uncharacteristic line of .048/.286/.048/.333 through six games – are a key contributing factor to New York’s 1-5 start to the 2024 regular season.

Time will tell if the hamstring is the primary reason for Nimmo’s struggles at the plate. There’s more reason to believe a bounce back to the hitter who owns identical .274 batting averages (159 hits in 2022, 162 hits in 2023) across the past two seasons is more likely than what he has shown thus far.

Factor in a terrible start for franchise shortstop Francisco Lindor (.042/.179/.042/.220), and the Mets are already facing an uphill battle just one week into April. Lindor, who also sees a bulk of the at-bats in the first portion of the lineup, leads off as New York faces 4-2 Cincinnati at Great American Ballpark.

https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1776329200896471257

Despite the notable offensive struggles for the Mets, the Miami Marlins are currently in last place in the National League East. Miami has yet to win a game, sitting at 0-8.