BRAND’ NEW PAIN
Nimmo leaves with leg contusion after foul off knee
Brandon Nimmo reached for another gear that wasn’t available Tuesday night.
The Mets outfielder, trying to beat out an infield single in the seventh inning of Game 2 in a doubleheader, realized the ball he had fouled off his right knee moments earlier was the culprit.
Nimmo departed the game and was diagnosed with a quadriceps contusion. He is hopeful he will return to the lineup Wednesday.
After the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Cardinals, Nimmo said he was more irritated that he didn’t beat out the grounder than he was concerned about the contusion. X-rays were negative.
“It feels all right now, I have just got a lump on it,” Nimmo said. “We’ll just take it day-to-day and see how it is in the morning.”
Travis Jankowski replaced Nimmo in center field for the final two innings.
➤ The Mets’ hearts are with Starling Marte following the death of his grandmother.
Marte was placed on the bereavement list Tuesday, a day after the passing of his grandmother, and will be away from the Mets at least through the remainder of this homestand. It was an emotional loss for Marte, according to manager Buck Showalter, given that he was close to his grandmother after his mother’s death at a young age. Marte also lost his wife Noelia toa heart attack in 2020 and
Wednesday is the anniversary of her passing.
“It was heart-wrenching talking to [Marte] yesterday,” Showalter said. “He cares. He’s got a great heart, a big heart. It’s been tough on us, what he is going through. I look forward to getting him back with the team and being around people that care for him.”
Stephen Nogosek was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to claim Marte’s roster spot. Showalter said the organization will give Marte as much time as he needs to mourn.
➤ Pete Alonso and Cardinals first-base coach Stubby Clapp acknowledged each other before the nightcap of the doubleheader, extending an air fist bump to each other.
Alonso started at designated hitter in Game 1 and went 0-for-4 in the Mets’ 3-1 victory. He went 0-for-3 with a walk in the nightcap.
Last month, Alonso was upset Clapp had tackled him from behind after both benches emptied in St. Louis.
➤ James McCann underwent surgery to repair the fractured hamate bone in his left wrist. The catcher is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.
➤ Showalter was still working on a rotation beyond the next two games, when Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt are scheduled to pitch, but acknowledged that David Peterson is a consideration for this weekend in Colorado.
➤ Jake Reed was optioned to Syracuse after pitching two scoreless innings in relief in Game 1. The Mets recalled infielder Gosuke
Katoh for the nightcap.
➤ Hitting coach Eric Chavez returned home to Arizona, where his son was undergoing knee surgery. Chavez is expected to rejoin the club in Colorado on Friday.