Former NY Mets fan favorite getting a chance to shine after latest Tigers injury

Certain New York Mets players have a flair for becoming beloved even if they’re more background characters than headliners. In a lot of ways, these fan favorite types are similar to those actors whose faces we see all over Law & Order reruns and guest appearances on other television shows. Whether we realize it or not, there’s an appreciation in the sports world for the equivalent of a John Carroll Lynch. Trust me. You know his face if the name doesn’t ring a bell. And you absolutely loved him in something.

Over in Detroit where winter hasn’t ended yet, the Tigers are dealing with an injury that has given a former Mets fan favorite another shot at the big leagues. An injury to catcher Jake Rogers has the Tigers dipping into their resources for some help behind the plate. Tomas Nido was the one to get the call.

The Tigers are asking for a little help from former Mets catcher Tomas Nido

It’s a bit unbelievable that Nido was actually a part of last year’s Mets. Although he started off in the minor leagues, injuries of their own had him summoned to the majors. He hit well in Triple-A before the promotion which ultimately led to him getting released later on when Luis Torrens became a clearly better backup option to Francisco Alvarez.

Nido would finish up his 2024 season with the Tigers in Triple-A after a lackluster performance with the Chicago Cubs featuring a .128/.143/.234 slash line. He hasn’t hit much on the farm again this season, starting off with a .160/.222/.320 slash line and a home run through his first 28 trips to the plate.

Mets fans know better than anyone that expecting consistent offense from Nido is like making plans based on the weather a month in advance. You just don’t do it. A very serviceable backup catcher, Nido had varying results as an offensive player. His time in New York concluded with him batting .214/.251/.313 with 16 home runs in parts of 8 seasons. Each of them, somehow, feels like it was impactful.

Nido became a fan favorite for a much different reason. He played well behind the dish, even gaining favor with starters from the past like Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard who preferred to throw to him rather than the starting catchers. Wilson Ramos comes to mind first. Some of his standout statistics include a league-best 10.41 RF/9 in 2022 and a 57.1% caught stealing in 2021. It was in the former season where he actually became the club’s primary catcher when James McCann was sidelined for a lengthy period of time with an injury and didn’t produce nearly enough to justify sitting Nido.

Starting catcher duties will fall on Dillon Dingler, a 26-year-old who sounds like he belongs in Boogie Nights rather than on a baseball field. With the Tigers playing a day game on Tuesday and another scheduled on Wednesday, it shouldn’t take long for him to show them what he has left. Out of minor league options, it’s likely to be a brief stay with the possibility of a new team in the near future. Wherever he lands, as long as it’s not with another NL East team, we’ll be rooting for him.