The Rangers’ Brandon Nimmo left Wednesday’s game with right hamstring tightness.
During the bottom of the fifth inning against the Yankees in Arlington, the ex-Mets outfielder went from second to third base on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Joc Pederson.
After the play, Nimmo was checked on by the Rangers’ trainer and manager Skip Schumaker and left the game after a brief conversation near the bag.
Nimmo appeared to grab at his right hamstring before walking off the field.
A replay showed Nimmo moving gingerly to third base.
Nimmo downplayed the injury in a postgame press conference, saying he and Schumaker were “being cautious” in pulling him from the contest.
“I fully expect to be available Friday,” he added.
A long-term loss of Nimmo would be a major blow for a Rangers team that has enjoyed his presence in the lineup through the first month of the season.
Nimmo, traded by the Mets to the Rangers in exchange for Marcus Semien in November after 10 seasons in Queens, was hitting .287/.358/.459 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 30 games before going down on Wednesday.
The Mets haven’t quite enjoyed their half of the trade.
Semien is hitting just .214 with one longball in 103 at-bats headed into Wednesday’s play.
The Mets have been one of the worst teams in baseball to date, sitting at 10-19 in a tie with the Phillies for last in the NL East, but Nimmo claims there’s still time to turn it around.
“Listen, I don’t think anything surprises me anymore,” Nimmo said Monday before the Rangers’ series opener against the Yankees. “I was part of that team that started off [0-5 in 2024], and then from May 15 on was the best team in baseball. So I’ve been on both sides of it. I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. Baseball, it takes a long time to have a good or bad season.
“So there’s still plenty of time for them to right the ship. And there’s still plenty of time for teams that are hot to go bad. So I wouldn’t say I’m surprised anymore. I’ve seen baseball go a lot of different ways. So now it’s just like, ‘Well, yep, that’s baseball.’ Baseball’s a crazy game.”
