Latest Mets starting lineup demotion for Brandon Nimmo shows an ongoing weakness

Brandon Nimmo batted fifth in the New York Mets starting lineup on Tuesday, driving in the first run of the game and then not doing much else. It has been a difficult year for Nimmo. He’s hitting just .186/.287/.270 in 195 second-half plate appearances. September is off to another slow start after an August where he actually posted his second best batting average of the season (sadly) at .228.

The demotion was necessary, but is it really a demotion to hit fifth in the lineup? Nimmo has found himself batting all over the place for the Mets this season with varying results at different times. He performed the best hitting second, but the recent struggles had Carlos Mendoza looking for a change for at least one night.

A change many were ready to see, the problem is Nimmo is now going to be counted on to hit in the heart of the order. Sometimes when there is a demotion there is also a lineup promotion. Not in this case. In this instance, it had the Mets moving Jesse Winker up to the second spot in the order, somewhat deservedly so but also not so necessary.

The Mets starting lineup has lost its length and their demotions aren't coming with good enough promotions

We can’t necessarily think of lineup changes as promotions or demotions. After all, the biggest change of all was moving Francisco Lindor from the third spot up to number one. It seems to be the one switch that worked the best. Nimmo, Pete Alonso, J.D. Martinez, and others have constantly been swapping places.

The Mets offense has been a weakness over the last 30 days. They’ve won plenty of games. Most were thanks to the starting pitching and a big inning. The only regulars batting over .250 are Lindor and Vientos. Winker and Iglesias are over it too, but the Mets have continually used them in more of a platoon role.

Struggles from the meat of the lineup are holding the Mets back. Alonso hasn’t managed to get on one of those tears a slugger needs to in order to carry the team. Martinez is having a similar stretch but with fewer hits. The pair of right-handed sluggers are striking out a ton, too.

The Nimmo lineup demotion does little to help the Mets because those guys at the bottom of the order have been the worst of all. Francisco Alvarez is 10 for 68. Harrison Bader is even worse going 6 for his last 56. Let’s not allow Starling Marte off the hook either. While 12 for 54 since his mid-August IL return, he has drawn only 1 walk and is 2 for 3 in stolen base attempts. He has yet to clobber a home run either.

A lineup demotion only works well for a team when they are rewarded with a positive. An RBI for Nimmo in his first game batting fifth was a nice start and hopefully can kickstart a strong finish.

The Mets are attempting everything they can to get the offense going. This has included starting DJ Stewart in the outfield more than anyone can accept. Unless players like Nimmo start to produce regardless of where they are in the Mets lineup, it’s not going to matter because the Atlanta Braves are going to pass them for good.