Brandon Nimmo wants to contribute in whatever manner is possible, even if that means expediting his rehab from a strained right hamstring.
The Mets outfielder took batting practice on the field Sunday for the first time since sustaining the injury and ran at roughly 90 percent. His goal is to rejoin the active roster this week.
Nimmo strained the hamstring during the first game of a doubleheader on Sept. 4 in Washington and was placed on the injured list before the nightcap. Kevin Pillar has assumed the center-field duties in Nimmo’s absence.
“I know I have surprised [the team] — things have been going really well,” Nimmo said before the Mets beat the Yankees, 7-6, at Citi Field. “We are trying to stay on that path because obviously this is going a lot quicker than they anticipated and even myself.”
Nimmo said there are steps he must clear before he’s given the green light to return. He said it’s possible he could skip a minor league rehab assignment and just rejoin the lineup.
Brandon NimmoCorey Sipkin“Especially with the circumstances I would like to try to help out sooner than later,” Nimmo said.
“Everything is toward [this week]. Everything is pointing toward doing well and being back a lot sooner than anticipated.”
Jacob deGrom will potentially begin throwing from a mound this week, according to manager Luis Rojas. The right-hander has spent the past 2 ½ weeks long tossing in his rehab from a right elbow sprain. DeGrom last pitched for the Mets on July 7.
The Mets have homered in ten straight games, their longest streak of the season. During that stretch they have 19 homers.
Noah Syndergaard will likely begin facing hitters this week in his return from a COVID-19 quarantine. The right-hander has been throwing from a mound in recent days.
“He did a pretty good job to keep his arm in shape,” Rojas said. “We’ll see if he can [face hitters] this week and then we’ll decide the next step after that.”
