PORT ST. LUCIE — Brandon Nimmo and Freddie Freeman were “two peas in a pod” during the NLCS last October. The Mets left fielder was battling plantar fasciitis while the Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman was nursing an injured ankle. Neither one of them could move very well, something the World Series MVP noted when Nimmo reached first base during a game in the series.
“He was just like, ‘Hey, we’re two peas in a pod over here, neither of us can run,’” Nimmo said Friday at Clover Park. “He was just having fun with it.”
Nimmo battled plantar fasciitis, a painful foot condition, for most of last season. He received treatment that helped alleviate the inflammation and pain and was able to manage it for most of the year, but he aggravated it again during the NLCS. Coming into spring training after a winter of treatment that included physical therapy, soft tissue work, a platelet rich plasma shot and rest, Nimmo is nearly back to normal.
He’s able to run again, and he’s running at 91% strength, to be precise. Yes, 91%. Nimmo is nothing if not specific.
“The organization, I feel like for a while now, has really done a good job with the medical staff, and so I’ve been able to be down here and be able to train and do PT and everything,” Nimmo said. “And obviously, now being at 91%, I’m feeling really good about where we’re at and how much time we have before the season starts.”
The 31-year-old team leader still managed to play in 151 games, and despite the foot injury, has now logged three healthy seasons, playing 151 in 2022 and career-high 152 in 2023. He credits the Mets medical staff and their investment in technologies that allow trainers to view energy output levels. The data helped the trainers put together a better program for Nimmo, that took into account days off and pre- and postgame workouts. The Catapult trackers are how Nimmo obtained the 91% figure.
Although he’s been feeling normal for the last few weeks, Nimmo typically doesn’t get into any Grapefruit League games until early-to-mid March, and he plans to stick with that timeline this season. He acknowledges that his foot may not be fully healed by March, but as long as he keeps progressing, he’ll be able to play.
“You want to just keep stacking good days, you don’t want to have a step back,” he said. “So as long as you’re able to just keep getting more load on it each and every day, do more and have the cuts and do the agility [training]. When you can build this up more, it’ll be able to be in a better spot coming game time.”
Despite the foot, Nimmo played like an All-Star over the first half of 2024, hitting .248 with 16 home runs, eight stolen bases and an .815 OPS. But then he fell into a deep slump in the second half, with his average sliding below .190. He turned it around in August, only to slump again in September. By the end of the season, his on-base percentage was a career-low .327.
The low on-base clip was uncharacteristic for a player who made a career off of his eye at the plate. Nimmo said he was pitched tougher after the All-Star break and didn’t make the changes he needed to make.
“Kind of made some bad adjustments, had a little bit of a nick on the thumb with a little nerve thing, just made a little bit of too much adjustment,” he said. “It kind of ended up being a six-week hole that I kind of put myself in. If I would have just probably stayed the course, it would have been fine. So that’s a lesson learned.”
He still hit 23 home runs, only one fewer than what he hit in 2023. The Mets think a healthy Nimmo could hit 30. If that’s the case, he could find himself hitting cleanup instead of higher in the order. There is also a possibility of Nimmo getting into the lineup as a designated hitter on occasion to keep him healthy, something the Mets have done with him in the past. The team currently has a glut of outfielders, with Tyrone Taylor, Jose Siri, Starling Marte and their crown jewel, Juan Soto. Jesse Winker can also play outfield.
Nimmo comes into camp with a new beard and a new baby. His wife Chelsea gave birth to the couple’s first child in December, a daughter named Tatum. His goal this year is to be “more well-rounded” on the field, and as a father and husband.
Nimmo might be taking it slow this spring, but if that means he can make up that last 9%, the Mets will be better for it.
“I’ve got to be a good husband, I’ve got to be a good father, and then, I get to be, hopefully, a great baseball player after that,” he said. “[Being a dad] is really fun, but I’m still learning. We’ll be learning every day, but she’s a joy.”