Mets’ Brandon Nimmo reveals real reason why he walked out of the game vs. Dodgers

The New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers played out a thriller series opener on Friday. It was a double blow for the Mets, though, as they lost the game and also saw Brandon Nimmo make an early exit due to injury concerns.

The veteran outfielder seemingly suffered a neck injury after he collided with the wall during a robbery attempt in the second inning. Nimmo was replaced by Jeff McNeil in left field.

Following the game, the outfielder revealed the real reason behind his early exit. Nimmo said that he was unable to get through his swing due to his injury:

"Once I had my first at-bat, I couldn’t pull the trigger on anything. I told Mendy that I was more of a detriment than a help right now because I wasn’t able to do my job at the plate. It’s unfortunate, it’s frustrating, but it’s part of it.”

Nimmo revealed that he has been dealing with similar neck issues since his collision with a wall in 2019.

"It's from 2019 when I ran into the wall. We've been really good with the training staff and me about being able to keep it under control and at bay, but sometimes with the travel and just everything, sometimes it pops its ugly head," Nimmo said

Brandon Nimmo reveals past struggles with neck injury

After a lengthy rain delay at Citi Field, fans witnessed a late three-run rally from the home team that sent the game into extra innings. However, the Dodgers found the breakthrough in the 13th inning to clinch a 7-5 win.

On his injury, Brandon Nimmo said it usually takes him a few days to get back to his full swing:

"In the past, it's usually been I usually I go get off of it for a little bit, go to sleep, and take a muscle relaxer. And then usually it's a day or two after that. Hopefully I can be sooner than that. But right now, in the past, that's the way it's gone."

The Mets will hope Brandon Nimmo could be back in time for their series finale against the reigning World Series winners.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash