Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Brandon Nimmo is week-to-week with a low-grade sprain to his right ankle and knee, New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler has announced.

Eppler added that “everything looked structurally sound” in the MRIs that were taken on Saturday.

It is worth mentioning that, at this stage at least, the Mets haven’t put a firm timetable on Nimmo’s return, but it appears very unlikely that he will be available for Opening Day.

Nimmo was forced to leave Friday’s win against the Miami Marlins following an awkward slide into second base. If you watch the below video, it appeared as though Nimmo’s cleats got stuck into the ground and he jammed his right knee as he attempted to reach second. The veteran was in a lot of pain and, after being seen to on the field, he eventually limped off and struggled to put any weight on that right knee.

The Mets announced at the time that he had left the game and would undergo imaging on Saturday. Nimmo was replaced by Tim Locastro in the game.

Nimmo had been ramping up in spring training and was gearing up for an important 2023 season. The long-time Met signed an eight-year, $162-million contract with the franchise earlier in the offseason, a deal that will likely keep the outfielder in Queens for the remainder of his career.

The 29-year-old was a vital driver for the offense in 2022, establishing himself as a key leadoff hitter on his way to slashing .274/.367/.433 with 16 home runs and 64 RBIs. Nimmo entered free agency as the second best outfielder available, behind Aaron Judge, and attracted interest elsewhere before ultimately deciding to commit his long-term future to the Mets.

Nimmo had only begun his spring training campaign last weekend. He was hitting .143/.400/.429 over seven at-bats in the Grapefruit League.

The fact that Nimmo is only week-to-week will come as a massive relief to the entire Mets organization. The team likely lost star closer Edwin Díaz for the entire 2023 season following a freak injury at the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday. Couple that with the likes of Brooks Raley, Abraham Almonte, and Bryce Montes de Oca going down hurt, then the last thing the Mets needed was one of their best hitters also being placed on the shelf.

Thankfully, it seems that Nimmo has avoided the worst-case scenario and, while he may not be available for Opening Day, a week-to-week timeline won’t impact the New York Mets too much as they look to compete for a World Series in 2023.