Mets: Juan Lagares injury gives Brandon Nimmo more playing time

Although unfortunate, Juan Lagares’ toe injury will give Brandon Nimmo a chance to show the New York Mets and the fans what type of player he really is.

En route to a crushing 12-1 loss against the Blue Jays in a gloomy, rainy Wednesday day game, the New York Mets took another blow. Juan Lagares had suffered a complete tear of his big toe plantar plate. The injury occurred in the 9th inning when Lagares made an excellent catch on the warning track. He is set for surgery next week and will likely miss the remainder of the season.

Lagares was off to a scorching hot start at the plate, hitting .339, with an OBP of .375 and a slugging percentage of .390. He was also batting well over .400 at Citi Field thus far.

The injury is a huge blow to this team, considering how shallow their outfield depth is at the moment. Although unfortunate, the injury to Lagares will definitely give Brandon Nimmo the chance to show us what he’s really got.

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Through the first month and a half, it has been difficult to find playing time and a spot to hit for Nimmo. With the injury to Lagares, it will pave the way to everyday playing time for Nimmo.

As everybody had been saying in early April when the Mets had a dilemma on their hands with their surplus of outfielders, “it will work itself out.” It certainly did all work out, but maybe not in the way the Mets had envisioned.

After a red-hot April, Nimmo has cooled off just a bit, but still owns an OBP of .443, well above the league average of around .300. Nimmo plays a lot better when in the starting lineup as opposed to coming off the bench, so this will give him the opportunity to play every day that he needs. Nimmo is one of those players who has a knack for getting on base.

This is exactly what the Mets need in order to produce runs consistently.

A lot of Nimmo’s OBP can be attributed to his excellent eye. In just 60 at-bats this year, he has 14 walks, which means he has walked over 20% of the time. If Nimmo can keep up this ridiculous BB and OBP pace, he will do wonders with the Mets.

Next: Is Dom Smith still the apple of the Mets' eyes?

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Although Lagares’ injury is untimely and unfortunate, in the end, it will help Brandon Nimmo and his development.