After being hit by a pitch in the wrist on Sunday, Michael Conforto is still not allowed to swing a bat. X-rays on the wrist were negative, so nothing is broken, and the team is calling it a bone bruise.
“It’s just bruised and I think they want me to take it easy for now,” Conforto said after last night’s game. “It’s a little bit sore, a little bit bruised and they are going to have the doctor here to take a look at it. But for now they don’t want me swinging. I was hoping I would be able to swing today.”
Conforto had been struggling with the bat but not struggling to get on base, slashing .206/.383/.317 in June. However in his 10 at-bats prior to his injury, he had gone 4-for-10 with three RBIs. He is hitting .285/.405/.548 on the season with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs.
With Lagares injured as well, this leaves Curtis Granderson as the starting center fielder. Normally this would be acceptable, however Marlins Park (where Conforto made his center field debut last season) has an exceptionally large outfield.
“This is a big center field,” Terry Collins said. “I want to be careful of not wearing Grandy down in this place. We’ll pick our spots and try to give everybody some at-bats.”
Yoenis Cespedes could play center field, but considering its square footage as well as Cespedes’ frequent lack of hustle, putting him out there could be a mistake. Jay Bruce has actually been pretty solid in right field with 3 DRS and a 1.7 UZR, but he’s not equipped to play center field anywhere, let alone Miami.
I would expect to see Brandon Nimmo get some exposure in center field this series. He is 1-for-5 with four walks since his call-up which is not too shabby. With Conforto and Lagares on the shelf, however, Nimmo is the team’s best defensive option in center field.
It is also important to remember that Jose Reyes got extended exposure to center field in spring training. He has been one of the Major League’s worst infielders, so maybe Terry is considering giving him a look in the outfield. Matt Reynolds being pulled early from his minor league game last night could support this theory.
