MET-ICAL MYSTERY
Nimmo’s collapsed lung is latest odd ailment to confound Collins
AP/EPA
ST. LOUIS — Well, at least you can’t blame the strength and conditioning team for this one. In perhaps the strangest, and potentially most frightening, of the Mets many injuries this season, Brandon Nimmo was placed on the disabled list Saturday with a partially collapsed lung. Nobody seems to know how exactly it happened. “I honestly don’t,” Nimmo said when asked if he knew the cause. “The first sign I had of it was just after the game, I felt like if you’ve been in the cold weather and you breath in and that first breath hits you and makes you cough. Only thing that happened and lasted for 20 minutes.” Nimmo said he first mentioned it to the Mets trainers before Friday’s game. After testing him for a possible heart issue with an EKG, doctors at a local St. Louis hospital diagnosed the lung issue. They treated him there and he was released later after the game Friday night. Nimmo said the only rehab he has been prescribed right now is rest. “This is just something you rest, not a whole lot of treatment you can do for it,” Nimmo said. “The doctors were already encouraged by where it was.” Nimmo said that the diagnosis sounded far more serious than the reality of it in his case. “I was honestly trying to get back to get ready to pinch hit for whatever situation came up. Then they said it was a collapsed lung, I was taken aback too,” Nimmo said. Nothing should really surprise the Mets with injuries this season. They have had to place players on the disabled list 18 times this season for a variety of reasons. They have had an oblique strain (Juan Lagares), two thumb injuries equaling three different trips to the DL (Asdrubal Cabrera twice, Juan Lagares) two bruised wrists (Travis d’Arnaud), a torn lat muscle (Noah Syndergaard) and a “stressed” scapula bone in the right shoulder (Matt Harvey). Wilmer Flores had a right knee infection that had him hospitalized for days, which would also be a contender for strangest of all, and Jeurys Familia had an arterial blood clot in his shoulder, which is among the most serious. Most frustrating would probably be the four hamstring injuries (to Nimmo, Neil Walker, Robert Gsellman and Yoenis Cespedes) that have cost the Mets games this season.
All of this has brought the Met medical and training staff under scrutiny this season. The hamstring issues have been a particular point of contention, seen as preventable with stretching and proper conditioning.
SNY analyst Ron Darling expressed the frustration with how players are being trained and prepared that most Mets fans were feeling as they watched Gsellman pull a hamstring muscle two weeks ago when he ran to first base. The front office said for the second time this season that they are studying their rash of injuries. Assistant GM John Ricco said just last month, the day after Gsellman went down with the latest hamstring issue, that they have confidence in their strength and conditioning, training and medical staffs.
Sometimes there is just bad luck, Ricco said. And this looked like it.
Terry Collins was shaking his head as he talked about finding out that Nimmo had a collapsed lung. He said in all his years in baseball, this was the first time he had to place a player on the DL with that particular ailment.
“It’s not necessarily real serious but it’s surprising for sure,” the Mets manager said.
Nimmo said that in a way he feels lucky after having dealt with some chest and back issues.
“I am very, if you can be thankful in this situation, more thankful that it’s not more severe,” Nimmo said. “And I am thankful the timing of it is letting me go into the All-Star break without missing more time.” or now, Nimmo will rest and stay away from flying. While he said he did not have any symptoms on the flight from Washington, D.C. to St. Louis, he will be cautious and drive to Nashville to spend the All-Star break.
“So, flying is going to be off for a little bit, I think we should be good by Thursday,” Nimmo said.
“I think I might drive with Matz to Nashville. Hang out me and my fiancee. We’ll go over there and hang out for a while and rest.”
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