Mets Notebook: Brandon Nimmo staying in left field for now

Brandon Nimmo might be an elite center fielder, but he’s continuing to go back to his early Mets roots by playing left field while his left quad strain heals.

The Mets used Nimmo in left field for the third straight game Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tim Locastro, who was recently activated off the injured list after two injuries sidelined him throughout most of the season, got the start in center for the second game of the three-game series.

With the trade deadline having passed and the Mets heading toward an early offseason, it isn’t crucial that Nimmo and his dazzling defense return to center field, but the Mets don’t have any outfield prospects that need looks and they’re still trying to maintain competitive integrity over the next six weeks. The team is better when Nimmo is in center field, but the team is also better with Nimmo healthy and they feel that limiting his running in left field will prevent him from injuring the quad further.

“It was obvious to me that he was moving better last night,” said manager Buck Showalter. “I noticed it when he scored on Pete’s [Alonso’s] ball down the line.”

Nimmo was able to score from first base on a double by Alonso in the Mets series-opening win over the Pirates on Monday night. His quad held up enough that he was able to finish the game and play again Tuesday. Scoring from first is difficult enough, but Nimmo didn’t even need to exert himself fully, which speaks to his speed and his ability to run the bases.

“[The trainers] said it was about 93 percent and that’s how about how it felt,” Nimmo said. “I felt good, but I didn’t want to push to 100 percent. I was like, OK, I’m in a good spot here and if I stay at this clip I can score. That’s kind of the name of the game right now for me — getting up to that threshold and not pushing past that, but still playing at a high level where I can score from first.

“That’s because left field has allowed my leg to continue to heal.”

Citi Field’s left side is smaller than a more manse center field, which goes back to 408 right below the home run apple. Nimmo played left field regularly earlier in his career when injuries to Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto opened the door for him to earn playing time. He shifted to center in 2019 and the transition wasn’t initially a smooth one, but he worked to track balls and utilize his speed.

Now back in left, the Mets and Nimmo don’t have a plan for how many games he’ll play there but they’re confident that it won’t be too many more.

“It’s really helped out my leg because it’s less exposure to high speed in left field, Nimmo said. “It happens to be shorter parameters so I’m able to get to everything without any problems and that’s allowing the leg to heal as I’m playing, which is really good.”

Showalter likes to remind everyone that no one is 100% healthy this time of the season, but barring any further pain, he’ll return to his usual position at some point soon.

“He’ll be back in center field at some point if he doesn’t have any setbacks,” Showalter said. “But I’m not quite there yet. I’d love to get to that 100 percent mark… Well, 100 percent of what he has is what we’re looking for.”

SOUND THE TRUMPETS

Injured closer Edwin Diaz (torn patellar surgery) was on hand for his “Narco” bobblehead night, handing out bobbleheads to fans at Citi Field on Tuesday afternoon. Much like last season, it features Diaz and trumpets as a nod to his walk-out song by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet.

Diaz isn’t yet throwing off a mound but he’s throwing from the base of one. Showalter said he is “meeting every benchmark” but the club is still not ready to definitively say that he will or will not return this season.

“I don’t know how you want to define it, but he’s near the rubber throwing to a guy holding a catcher’s mitt,” Showalter said. “He’s not standing on the rubber jumping full throttle down the hill and he’s not at the point where he has normal pitching motion, but he’s throwing somewhat down the hill at certain points.”

ROSTER MOVE

Right-hander Tyson Miller was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse and right-handed starter Jose Butto was called up to take his place. Butto is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three games (two starts) for the Mets this season in the Major Leagues and 3-6 with a 5.96 ERA in 17 Triple-A starts.

Miller threw two innings Monday night, which meant he would be unavailable for a few days. The Mets don’t have any off days this week and needed to keep the bullpen fresh and prioritized length.