PORT ST. LUCIE — Brandon Nimmo is taking the slow-and-steady-wins-the-race approach to his spring training buildup.
After abstaining from running for most of the offseason to allow his left foot a chance to heal from plantar fasciitis, the Mets outfielder said Friday that he is running at 91 percent as he continues his rehab.
The foot was an issue for Nimmo last year in the postseason, leading him to receive a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection in the days after the Mets lost Game 6 of the NLCS to the Dodgers.
Nimmo has also received physical therapy and is using orthotics as part of his rehab.
“We’re in a really good spot,” Nimmo said at Clover Park. “It’s a good place to be. We’re trending upwards. We’re going to keep stacking good days on good days. What you want to do is just not push it too hard right now because it’s trending in the right direction.
“We probably turned the corner in the last three or four weeks — it’s happened just in time because they are having to pull back on me a little bit more, which is the way you want it.”
Nimmo is wearing electronic devices during his workouts that measure his running against his top foot speed, allowing him to know he’s at 91 percent.
For the last three seasons, Nimmo has eased into spring training by skipping the first week or two of the Grapefruit League.
It’s an approach he will continue this spring as he looks to stay healthy all season.
“It’s been three years of playing 150-plus games plus playoffs, and if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” Nimmo said.
Nimmo is not only trying to return to full-strength running, but also ensure the plantar fasciitis isn’t an issue later in the year.
“A lot is going to depend on cleat choice and taking care of my foot, making sure I get the soft tissue work done, keeping it strong and then doing the [physical therapy] work,” Nimmo said. “There’s definitely a chance it can come back, but our goal is to be working ahead of the schedule rather than be reactive to it so try to keep it from coming back.”
Nimmo said he didn’t know if he might receive occasional starts as the DH, allowing him to get off his feet.
Nimmo last season shifted from center to left field.
Last week the Mets re-signed Pete Alonso to a two-year contract worth $54 million, bringing a level of comfort to Nimmo, who will be reunited with his teammate of the past six seasons.
“He and I have been together a long time, and anytime you add 30-40 homers to your lineup you have got to love that, especially with the lineup we have got going right now,” Nimmo said. “I think he’s going to have a lot of success hitting behind [Juan] Soto.”
Nimmo admitted he was concerned the Mets might move on without Alonso as negotiations between the two sides lagged.
“I was just trying to hold out hope,” Nimmo said. “It kind of seemed like that time had come and passed and I was just like, ‘I’d love to see you back,’ and just kept telling him that.”
Among the possibilities is that Nimmo could hit cleanup in the batting order behind Soto and Alonso, but that conversation with manager Carlos Mendoza has not occurred yet.
Last season was Nimmo’s worst offensively, as he produced a .727 OPS.
Nimmo began the season in the leadoff spot, but moved down in the lineup in May, with Francisco Lindor installed atop the batting order.
“[Mendoza] talked with me a lot last year about if I had any reservations hitting anywhere in the lineup,” Nimmo said. “I told him it really doesn’t matter to me. My at-bats are dictated by the situation in the game and so he should feel comfortable putting me anywhere in the lineup that he wants.”
