Thomas Nido crouched behind home plate at the plate for the first time in 328 days in a game in Queens.
“It’s been a long time,” Nido said before Friday’s game. “I feel like that.”
Being away has made Nido appreciate the opportunity even more. It probably had a positive effect on his bat as well.
Nido, playing his first game at Citi Field since June 3, welcomed his return with a home run and a double in the Mets’ 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.
The longtime Met had multiple extra-base hits in just the fourth game of his career, and his home run to right-center field in the fifth inning was his first since Sept. 30, 2022.
After being away from Flushing for so long, this big day came at a good time.
In early June of last year, Nido watched Francisco Alvarez establish himself in the majors and veteran Omar Narváez return from a calf strain.
Nido could see the writing on the wall.
Nido said, “I understand the situation.” “You have a superstar named Alvarez and Narby backs him up. He thought he was the weird guy.”
And he considered his time with the Mets and Citi Field “completely” over, he said.
An eighth-round pick of the Mets in 2012, Nido made his debut in 2017 and had only known major league life in Queens, where he earned high praise for his defensive abilities as a backup to light hitters.
Alvarez’s rapid rise and the addition of Narváez in free agency helped Nido clear waivers despite being designated for assignment. That’s probably due to the two-year, $3.7 million contract he signed before the start of last season.
Nido then joined Triple-A Syracuse, where he finished last season and started this season.
Alvarez’s thumb surgery gave Nido another chance to try out for the major leagues with the Mets, about 11 months after he believed his tenure was over. Nido called Friday’s game, which marks his return to Queen’s, “special.”
“For whatever reason, things worked out and I’m still here,” Nido said. “I was so grateful. … I really don’t take my time here for granted anymore.”
