The Mets are on the verge of bringing one of their more promising young hitters back into the fold.
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo’s rehab assignment continues to move in the right direction as he works his way back from a bulging cervical disc in a nerve in his neck.
The 26-year-old has been out since May, though there were hints that something wasn’t right even when he was playing.
In just 43 games this season, Nimmo looked like a shell of himself at the plate. He batted just .200 with a .344 on-base percentage and an alarming 48 strikeouts.
It was a swift drop-off from a coming-out campaign in 2018 when he ranked second in the National League in on-base percentage (.400), fifth in offensive WAR (5.1), and 10th in WAR by position players (4.4).
Nearing full health, there seems to be a glimpse of the old Nimmo during his rehabilitation assignment down in the minors.
Currently, with Triple-A Syracuse, Nimmo went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI on Sunday in what was his best performance of the season to date.
His impending arrival to the Mets couldn’t come at a much better time, either, as the team is struggling with its outfield and offensive depth.
Nimmo’s absence for most of the season has forced the Mets to slot out-of-position players into the corner outfield spots. It became commonplace in 2019 to see the likes of Jeff McNeil, JD Davis, and Dominic Smith — all infielders — playing in left or right field depending on where Michael Conforto was playing.
Without Nimmo, the Mets were also forced to play Juan Lagares more often than usual. While he’s a gifted defensive center fielder, Lagares’ bat has been a liability throughout most of his career.
The depth behind him was even worse as recently DFA’d Aaron Altherr, who batted .129, was getting some big at-bats this summer.
As soon as Nimmo can get back, he could take over in center field while Conforto can return to his normal spot in right field full-time.
McNeil can become the Mets’ everyday left fielder for the rest of the season while Joe Panik will take over at second base down the stretch.
Acquired off waivers from the San Francisco Giants, Panik has batted .292 in 15 games with the Mets.
Davis, who has developed into one of the Mets’ best hitters, could move back to his natural position at third base. That way, the slumping Todd Frazier can become more of a utility player or big bat to come off the bench.
The 33-year-old has simply not been good enough for an extended period now. Since Jun. 29 (47 games), Frazier is batting .194 with six home runs, 19 RBI, 50 strikeouts.
