In the coming several days, the Mets could be getting back three key contributors to their major league squad: outfielder Brandon Nimmo, second baseman Robinson Cano and infielder Jed Lowrie.
Nimmo, 26, has been sidelined since May with a bulging cervical disc in his neck. At the time of his injury, the Wyoming native had a triple slash of .200/.344/.323 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 43 games.
However, it is feasible that Nimmo was playing through his injury for awhile before he actually hit the injured list. While the outfielder has struggled this year, he’s coming off a 2018 campaign where he was a key cog in the Mets’ lineup and owned a 149 wRC+ with 17 long balls.
Cano, 36, hasn’t set the world ablaze in his first year in Queens, though he did start to pick it up before he went down with a torn hamstring. The injury was expected to keep him out six to 12 weeks, but after rehabbing with Short-A Brooklyn, a return date for Cano is coming into focus and he could join the team as soon as Tuesday if everything goes well.
The 15-year veteran has played 86 games for the Mets this year, and owns an underwhelming triple slash of .252/.295/.415 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. However, in 21 games during the second half of the season, Cano’s triple slash was .289/.318/.578 with six of his 10 homers.
As for Lowrie, the player fans have compared to Bigfoot, is finally nearing his Mets’ debut after being out the entire season up until this point.
The Mets shelled out a two-year, $20 million deal to Lowrie this past winter, and at this point, the deal has flopped. However, if the 11-year veteran can return for the last month of the season, it could provide the Mets a big boost.
The 35-year-old crushed a home run in his second most recent rehab game, and while he may not return when rosters expand Sunday, he could be closer than ever before.
With all that being said, having these three players back gives the Mets more possibilities to work with than they’ve had in months, even all season.
New York’s bench has been a weak spot for the team, and especially recently. The team has mostly relied on Juan Lagares, Luis Guillorme, Rajai Davis, Aaron Altherr, Carlos Gomez and Adeiny Hechavarria at various points this year.
With Nimmo, Cano and Lowrie all potentially returning soon, it gives them depth off the bench, as well as gives them opportunities to have a potent lineup day in and day out.
Most importantly, it will likely shift Todd Frazier to a bench role, where he could thrive. Coming up late in games with the pop he possesses is a much better option than sending someone like the weak hitting Guillorme up there trying to tie the game with a long ball.
