When New York Mets star Brandon Nimmo stepped onto the diamond Monday afternoon for the series finale against the Washington Nationals, his numbers looked more like a backup catcher’s than those of a core outfielder: a .192 average and a .576 OPS.
The kind of stats that make X (formerly known as Twitter) trigger fingers type out words like “washed” with reckless abandon.
Then came the explosion. By the time the dust settled on the Mets’ blowout win, Nimmo had written his own redemption arc—4-for-6, four runs, a double, two home runs, and nine RBI.
His batting average jumped over 25 points in a single afternoon. Just like that, the conversation shifted.
The Myth of “Washed”
Baseball has a short memory. Fans can forget in April what players accomplished the season before—or in Nimmo’s case, over a career.
Struggles aren’t always about decline. Sometimes they’re about rust. Nimmo entered the season hobbling, not sprinting. With plantar fasciitis and lingering knee issues robbing him of a normal spring training, expecting him to come out of the gate swinging was like asking a racehorse to win without warming up.
A few rough weeks and the whispers started. But real talent doesn’t just vanish. It stalls. And when it reignites, as Nimmo reminded us, it does so in a blaze.
A Reminder of Who He Really Is
Nimmo’s Monday masterclass was a rare feat, the kind of performance that echoes through MLB history. You don’t luck into nine RBI in a day. You don’t fake your way to three extra-base hits in a game.
It was a statement—not to the doubters, but to the game itself. He’s not just back. He’s still here.
Plugging Back Into the Heart of the Order
With his bat reawakened and his health improving, the Mets are plugging Nimmo back into the middle of a lineup that’s starting to hum. Baseball seasons are marathons with brutal hills and sudden sprints. Nimmo hit a patch of gravel early. But the Mets never doubted his stride.
And after Monday, neither should anyone else.