Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo was removed from Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a stiff neck and the team is considering him day-to-day.
After an hour-plus rain delay, Jeff McNeil replaced Nimmo in left field. It was initially thought that the cause of the ailment was when Nimmo collided with the wall, robbing Will Smith of extra bases in the second inning. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the neck stiffness occurred before that play.
"After that first at-bat, he came up to me and said, ‘It’s hard for me to pull the trigger right now,'" Mendoza said. "He came in and it’s something that he deals with every so often and usually gets better, but today wasn’t the case."
Nimmo explained after Friday's game that his neck stiffness is something he's dealt with for a few years now.
"This morning, my neck tightened up on me,” Nimmo explained. “It’s from 2019 when I ran into the wall and we’ve been really good with the training staff and myself about keeping it under control and at bay. Sometimes with the travel and just everything, it pops its ugly head and it takes a few days to deal with it.
"I was hopeful that I could get it taken care of today and get into a spot where I can play. I was able to go out there and give it a shot, but once I had my first at-bat with [Clayton] Kershaw, I couldn’t pull the trigger on anything. I told Mendy I was more of a detriment than a help right now because I wasn’t able to do my job at the plate."
Nimmo struck out looking in his only at-bat on Friday.
When asked if slamming into the wall on Friday made it worse, Nimmo said it didn't and that the trajectory of the ball was fortuitous.
"It doesn’t help, but it was not great before that point," he explained. "Able to turn to the left fine, but over my right shoulder was no problem, so I was able to turn and make the play.
"Turning to the right was very limited today. I was going to try and change my whole setup and my swing in order to play, but I wasn’t even able to pull the trigger once I got out there. Yeah, it was frustrating."
The veteran outfielder said that he usually just needs sleep and some muscle relaxer and he's good in a day or two, but he hopes that it'll be quicker.
Nimmo was seen in the team's dugout as the Mets played a marathon 13-inning game against the Dodgers, a contest they ultimately lost 7-5. The Mets scored three runs in the ninth against Dodgers closer Tanner Scott, led by McNeil's two-run triple, to send the game to extras. Despite the loss, Nimmo was proud of his teammates for the effort.
"The way the guys fought back, I’m super proud of that. To come back on Scott, he’s a great pitcher, a great closer. A lot of fight from them, very very proud," he said. "Could have been easy to roll over there against a great closer, chalk it up and get it tomorrow, made them use all of their arms in the bullpen and hopefully that’ll be to our advantage in the next couple of games."
Brandon Nimmo takes a hit away from Will Smith at the wall!
(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/AU4CTqErha
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 23, 2025
