The injury bug has struck the New York Mets’ lineup. Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez have gone down in recent days, costing them a spot in the starting nine on Opening Day. And now it appears that the team might also be without Brandon Nimmo in the outfield, as right knee discomfort could cause him to DH rather than play left field, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.
Luckily, it sounds as though Nimmo will be healthy enough to remain in the lineup as a DH. Carlos Mendoza expects his longest-tenured Met to produce at a high level this season; Nimmo has an .809 OPS for his career, and he hit 23 homers with a career-high 15 steals in 2024. But without him in left field, it halts the Mets’ DH plans, Jesse Winker and Starling Marte were supposed to platoon in the role. Now, Winker will likely start the season as their left fielder. Marte’s defense isn’t what it was during his prime years, causing his role to potentially be reduced to start the season.
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What could Mets Opening Day lineup look like with Brandon Nimmo at DH?
That said, New York’s lineup will look different from what we expected a few weeks ago. Without Alvarez and McNeil, along with Nimmo in the DH spot, the Mets Opening Day lineup could look like this:
| Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Francisco Lindor | SS |
| 2. | Juan Soto | RF |
| 3. | Pete Alonso | 1B |
| 4. | Brandon Nimmo | DH |
| 5. | Mark Vientos | 3B |
| 6. | Jesse Winker | LF |
| 7. | Brett Baty | 2B |
| 8. | Luis Torrens | C |
| 9. | Tyrone Taylor | CF |
Of course, the top five in the lineup is still one of the best in MLB. Not being able to platoon Marte and Winker at DH, though, is a blow. If those two platooned across the entire 2024 season, the Mets would’ve gotten elite production out of their DH spot, with a .276 batting average and a .806 OPS.
Nevertheless, keeping Nimmo in the lineup will be significant for New York. He’s not the typical cleanup hitter, but he does his damage with runners on. Last season, with runners on base, the 31-year-old posted a .299 batting average with a .966 OPS and 82 RBI. Considering the stars hitting in front of him, Nimmo could certainly surpass his career-high 90 runs batted in from 2024. Even though Lindor, Soto, and Alonso are the prominent pieces, Nimmo will play a huge factor in their potential success in 2025.
