WASHINGTON — New York Mets center fielder Harrison Bader injured his neck and upper back when he hit the wall while trying to catch a ball Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals.
Manager Carlos Mendoza recalled Bader to day-to-day status after taking him out of the game in the fourth inning. Brandon Nimmo replaced Bader and drove in two runs in New York’s 7-2 10-inning victory. Nimmo was playing in his first game since cutting his forehead when he collapsed and fell in his hotel room Sunday night.
Mendoza said he was pretty comfortable with the idea of bringing in Nimmo.
“After he went through his pregame routine, he came into the office and said, ‘I’m ready to play,’” Mendoza recalled. “And then after he saw Bader’s play, he came right in and started moving, so he was ready to play and we obviously saw that.”
Bader took a ball hit by Jacob Young in the bottom of the third inning and hit the right-center field video screen with his left arm. He was slow to get up but remained in the game until Mendoza decided to remove him.
The Mets were without designated hitter J.D. Martinez because of a sore left ankle.
“He said he felt something last night, but he didn’t really pay attention to it, and today, same thing,” Mendoza said. “And then when he went to hit the nets, he didn’t feel good. Hopefully it’s just a day or two. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, but that’s it.”
Martinez told reporters he wore new shoes Monday because of a delivery delay and woke up with ankle pain Tuesday morning.
Bader, 30, is hitting .273 with six homers and 31 RBIs in his first season with the Mets after signing a one-year, $10.5 million contract in January. He split last season between the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds and previously played multiple seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
