During the shortened 2020 season, Mets’ catcher Tomas Nido showed a sliver of what he was capable of.

In just seven games, the Puerto Rico native logged 0.3 fWAR, but wound up missing the remaining 50 or so games after contracting COVID-19 and dealing with its subsequent side effects.

Regardless, Nido has come back in 2021 ready to play.

Despite the fact that 16 players are currently on the injured list for the Mets, Nido and crew have persevered and have made a most of their new found playing time.

In fact, Nido has played so good, the Mets don’t want him out of the lineup. This has led to offseason acquisition James McCann being shifted over to first base to allow Nido to continue to catch.

In 22 games so far in 2021, the 27-year-old has been worth 0.7 fWAR, a career high, and owns an appealing 124 wRC+, .346 wOBA and .356 xWOBA.

Behind the dish, Nido has also proved to be a strong defender, and his framing ranks in the upper sixth percentile of the league, according to Baseball Savant.

While this is technically Nido’s fifth season in the big leagues, he hasn’t played more than 50 games in any given year. Those 50 games came back in 2019 when he backed up Wilson Ramos.

But now, Nido is getting his time to shine. Entering his “prime years,” Nido has become an integral part of the ReplaceMets, who have helped the team remain in first place and are a big part of why they are 25-20 while the big boppers are sidelined.

Nido’s swing coach, Lorenzo Garmendia, talked to The Record‘s Justin Toscano this offseason and predicted that last year’s small sample wasn’t a fluke.

“I think if Nido can string some games together where he gets a good amount of playing time, I think everybody is going to be shocked. You’re going to get to see what you saw last year,” Garmendia said. “That wasn’t by accident. What happened last year, and that sample size, isn’t by accident. That’s going to be him.”

Nido was originally drafted in 2012, but was more known for his defensive prowess. However, in 2016 when Nido was with Single-A St. Lucie, his bat started to come around, and ultimately led to him winning the Florida State League batting title.

I think I just tried to not swing too hard, battled through long at-bats and ended up winning [those] longer at-bats while also taking the ball the other way. I had better at-bats and wasn’t overly-aggressive and swinging at the first pitch too many times,” Nido told me in 2017.

Then, prior to the 2019 season, Nido underwent Lasik eye surgery to correct his vision after having blurriness and contact lens issues.

“It’s been a long road,” Nido said, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “I didn’t realize how much effect it had on me. It’s been a big difference just getting used to seeing the ball better. It’s a lot more fun now.”

When you take into consideration Lasik surgery, a new swing coach and a comfortability at the MLB level, it makes sense that the hard work and perseverance has culminated for Nido.

And here’s a little tidbit for how things have gone hyper recently for the backstop:

Nido is batting .269/.321/.519 with six extra-base hits and nine RBI in 21 games this year. He has safely hit in seven of his last eight games, going 9-for-26 with four runs, two doubles, two home runs and six RBI. He owns an .810 OPS in 15 starts this season. He is batting .333 (3-for-9) with runners in scoring position with one home run and five RBI.

Nido has become a fan favorite and a staple for this makeshift Mets’ squad. Hopefully, we continue to see him blossom.