Why Buck Showalter, NY Mets are being cautious with Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo injuries
NEW YORK — When Buck Showalter has an inclination that any of his players are dealing with an injury, he takes it seriously.
So when word spread from Joey Cora to Glenn Sherlock that Jeff McNeil voiced that he felt some wear and tear on his legs during Saturday night's game, Showalter took action.
The Mets manager pulled McNeil for a pinch-runner following a seventh-inning walk and kept him out of Sunday's starting lineup.
"Some guy’s getting ready to hit a ball in a gap and we have an issue," Showalter said. "If a player tells you that and it’s important to them to tell you that, it’s kind of like if they tell you to put backs on the seats in the dugout. Do something. If it’s important to them. I’ve learned through the years, if it’s important to players, it better be important to you."
Showalter made the move to ensure the McNeil's long-term health. McNeil, who banged his knee hard into the wall on a sliding catch during last Wednesday's loss to the Giants, made one at-bat in the ninth inning of Sunday's win. He returned as a designated hitter for Monday night's game against the Nationals.
Last season, McNeil played through cramps and then landed on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain a few days later.
"He has, in the past, pushed through some things and kind of paid a price with it and little more long-term problem," Showalter said. " I think the maturity of knowing the signs of something getting close and deciding to back off of it, I think that’s what’s going on."
Showalter said that the Mets' 8.5-game lead in the NL East entering Monday's game does not play a role in his decisions to start or sit certain players at this point in the season. In May, he errs on the side of caution.
"I think we always go, ‘OK, they’re ready to go. One more day,’" Showalter said. "I don’t think that changes pushing or pulling. I think there’s just a set way that you need to do it, except when you’re at the end and you’re not saving them for something else, you’re not saving them for November baseball."
Brandon Nimmo was out of the lineup for a third straight game on Monday night after receiving a cortisone injection for a sprained wrist joint in his right hand on Friday night. Nimmo said he's been dealing with the injury for the last month but the discomfort had increased over the last few days, leading to an MRI that revealed the sprain.
In the absence of Nimmo and McNeil on Sunday night, recent call-up Nick Plummer was one of the Mets' heroes as his first major league home run tied the game in the ninth inning of the Mets' 5-4 win over the Phillies.
Showalter said the Mets have the personnel to share the load. That's why one of his other policies is to make sure that none of his pitchers lead the league in appearances.
Drew Smith, who suffered a dislocated pinkie on his throwing hand while trying to make a barehanded catch on a chopper up the middle on Sunday, played catch on Monday. A CT scan did not reveal a broken bone so he is expecting to avoid a stint on the injured list.
Still healing
Travis Jankowski did not think anything was wrong after his glove got caught and he hyperextended his finger on a diving play against the Giants on May 25.
But his hand was swollen after the game and continued on the off day. An X-ray revealed a fractured metacarpal in his left hand. He underwent surgery on May 27 with an estimated recovery time of six to eight weeks.
"Two screws and five weeks and I should be good to go," said Jankowski, who was back in the Mets' clubhouse Monday. He was in a bulky cast that he expects to shed and be replaced with a splint on Tuesday.
"Hopefully it’s back in the majors," Jankowski added about his return. "That timeline could be anywhere from six to eight too. It’s one of things that we’ll see after three weeks how the bone is healing and go from there."
While Jankowski is frustrated following the injury, he wouldn't change anything about that play.
"You come to the realization that I play hard no matter what," Jankowski said. "It doesn’t matter if it’s 9-3, 10-2 or 4-4, that’s a play I know I can make and I’m going to go make it. You don’t pick and choose when you can play hard. You just go out and play the game.
"Unfortunately, bad things can happen, and that’s what happened. Hopefully less than eight weeks, but I’ll be back out there making some diving catches.""
Andrew Tredinnick is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Mets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.
Email: atredinnick@gannett.com Twitter: @andrew_tred
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets, Buck Showalter cautious with Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo injuries
