Mets' Brandon Nimmo out of Friday's lineup with tight hamstring
Brandon Nimmo will miss the Mets’ series-opener on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds with a tight right hamstring, manager Carlos Mendoza said before the game.
Mendoza said that Nimmo first felt tightness in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers when he was on the basepaths.
“He felt tightness in his right hamstring yesterday in his first at-bat of that second game in one of those attempts when he was going from first to second,” Mendoza said. “He came in today feeling a lot better, hopefully we dodged a bullet here, but he played through it yesterday because he was DH'ing so we’ll see.”
When asked if he thinks it’ll just be a one-game absence for Nimmo, Mendoza was hopeful but noncommittal about the duration.
“Hopefully it’s day-to-day,” he said.
However, Nimmo said he’s feeling good and expects to play on Saturday. He added that he could’ve played on Friday, if needed.
“We’re just being safe,” Nimmo noted.
In his place at the top of the lineup, Francisco Lindor will lead off for New York for the first time this season and just the fifth time as a Met. Although he has experience batting first during his time in Cleveland, the shortstop has primarily batted second or third for the Mets in his four seasons in New York.
“I like him anywhere atop of the lineup, even though right now he’s scuffling a little bit but whether it’s third, second or leading off I like him on top of the lineup and he’ll get going here,” Mendoza said.
Tyrone Taylor is in left field and batting sixth.
