A bruised left index finger has sent Brandon Nimmo to the disabled list. The Mets put Nimmo on the 10-day DL on Monday, choosing to keep first baseman/left fielder Dominic Smith, who joined the team as its 26th man Sunday. Nimmo, who will head to Port St. Lucie on Tuesday, hopes to miss only another week. He has been out since absorbing a pitch with his digit Thursday.
"We gave it a try for a few days," said Nimmo, who was still relieved it wasn't a season-ending broken bone. "And then just decided I'm not doing any good for anybody just being able to pinch run on the bench."
An X-ray and MRI _ and two hand specialists, the Mets said _ showed no structural damage. But the bruise is deep enough that Nimmo was still having trouble gripping a bat.
That affords Smith another opportunity, or at least a partial opportunity. Mickey Callaway said Smith probably won't get an extended run of playing time but will get reps at first and left, where the Mets say he has greatly improved during his month with Triple-A Las Vegas.
"Just want to see consistency of effort," assistant general manager John Ricco said. "We know what talent he is. Just continued development."
Is consistency of effort a concern?
"No. We look for that in every younger player," Ricco said. "Maybe consistency of performance is a better way to say it."
Since arriving in the majors a year ago as the Mets' potential long-term first baseman, Smith has struggled and seen his stock drop considerably. On Monday, he was on the bench behind Wilmer Flores (first base) and infielder Jack Reinheimer (left field).
The type of role Smith has in the Mets' future is up to him, Callaway said.
"He's got a lot of talent," Callaway said. "He's got the ability to play defense. He's got the ability to swing the bat. The rest is going to be up to him. So I'll leave it to him to decide exactly what he's going to be."
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