Mets star suffers scary injury, hospitalized after hotel room fall

Just when everything seemed to be going well for the New York Mets, something went wrong.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Monday that star outfielder Brandon Nimmo slipped and fell in his hotel room Sunday night. Fortunately, Nimmo didn’t suffer anything serious other than a gash on his forehead, but he was being treated at the hospital Monday and didn’t arrive at the ballpark until hours before the first pitch in Washington. He didn’t suffer a concussion but won’t be in the game Monday night.

“He had a little accident last night at the hotel. In the middle of the night, he woke up, had to go to the bathroom, slipped and hit his forehead,” Mendoza said. “He has a pretty big cut on his forehead. He had all the tests this morning. We want to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Luckily, everything came back negative.”

It appears Nimmo has avoided the worst, which is a huge relief for the Mets and their outfielder. Nimmo has played in 77 games this season, hitting .247/.367/.448 with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs. He is on pace to break his career highs in home runs (24) and RBIs (68) and has an OPS above .800 for the fifth straight season.

Nimmo is in his ninth MLB season, all with the Mets. The 31-year-old was selected in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft by New York and has remained with the organization his entire career.

Nimmo has been a steady force for the Mets in the outfield. He is in the second year of an eight-year, $162 million contract he signed ahead of the 2023 season, and continues to have a huge impact on New York’s lineup. Nimmo moved from center field to left field this year and has been a solid outfielder, ranking in the 61st percentile in Outs Above Average.

But his biggest impact has been with his bat, and he has continued to make waves at the top of New York’s lineup. Nimmo has been by far the best in both holes in New York’s lineup, hitting .362/.471/.741 with six homers, 18 RBIs and a 1.213 OPS in 15 games.

It’s unclear how long it will take for Nimmo to return, but based on Mendoza’s comments, he could be back as early as Tuesday’s game against the Nationals. On Monday, however, Jeff McNeil will play left field, with Jose Iglesias starting at second base against left-hander MacKenzie Gore.