Just hours after the Mets returned Starling Marte to the lineup, outfielder Brandon Nimmo left Sunday’s game with right shoulder soreness and a feared injury.
Nimmo fouled off in his seventh at-bat and was checked by a trainer and Carlos Mendoza, but stayed in the game and struck out.
Then, left fielder Jeff McNeil took over for him in the top of the eighth inning of a 3-2 loss to the Marlins that ended the weekend series.
Early in the game, Nimmo hit his 18th home run of the season to give the Mets a brief lead and also drew a walk.
Nimmo has struggled since the All-Star break, batting just .228 with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs in 115 games this season through Sunday.
Nimmo, who faced Valente Veloso on Sunday, found a way to improve his numbers in each category.
“I’ve been very open about it,” Nimmo told reporters on Friday. “You know, I haven’t been feeling very good. Obviously, the worse I’m feeling, the worse I feel. But today was a step in the right direction. We’re just working every day to get better and to get better in the game, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
The Mets activated Marte from the disabled list on Sunday and he started in right field with Nimmo in left field and Harrison Bader in center field.
Marte’s return gives the Mets more options in the outfield with just over a month left in the season, but it’s unclear how Nimmo’s departure will affect those plans, if at all.
