Mets outfielder playing through plantar fasciitis injury

Brandon Nimmo is 0-for-12 with four walks over his last 16 plate appearances. He was removed from both Game 1 (for a pinch-hitter) and Game 2 (for a defensive sub in left field) of the Mets’ NLCS clash with the Dodgers. It seems the issue is health-related as Nimmo told The Athletic’s Tim Britton that he believes he re-aggravated a case of plantar fasciitis in his left foot during the sixth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies.  The fact that Nimmo was dealing with plantar fasciitis is itself news as Nimmo said he has been playing through the injury since May.

The discomfort is only an issue when running, Nimmo said, and “I think when I really need it, I’m probably not 100 percent, but I can get going pretty good.” He has been able to hit and throw with relatively little problem so while it is clear that Nimmo isn’t quite himself, he is intent on staying in the lineup and will wait until after the season to pursue any more long-lasting treatment.

Nimmo hit .224/.327/.399 with 23 home runs over 663 plate appearances in the regular season, translating to a 109 wRC+.  This was a step back from the 134 wRC+ Nimmo produced in 1966 PA during the 2020-23 seasons, though the downturn is understandable considering that Nimmo has been battling plantar fasciitis for much of the year. Interestingly, Nimmo stole a career-high 15 bases and was a perfect 15-for-15 on the basepaths, despite playing through the pain in his foot.

If the discomfort ever became so severe that Nimmo couldn’t start in left field, the Mets could install Jeff McNeil (himself just returning after a wrist fracture) in left or move Tyrone Taylor into left field while Harrison Bader plays in center field. But, the plan seems to be to just keep Nimmo in the starting lineup and then manage his time with tactical substitutions, as was the case in the first two games against Los Angeles.

It isn’t good for the Mets that one of their key hitters has been hampered at such a pivotal time in October, or that the three off days between the NLDS and NLCS provided only scant relief.  (“It wasn’t as good as I was hoping when I got out there,” Nimmo said of how his foot responded to the three-day break.)  While some injury cases like Freddie Freeman’s bad ankle are obvious, Nimmo’s situation is an example of how there are likely several players trying to grit out non-publicized injuries through these key postseason games.