Brandon Nimmo, Mets searching for answers as star’s second-half slump continues

PHOENIX — Brandon Nimmo, where are you?

The difficulty of rallying to secure a postseason berth will be great enough for the Mets with a productive Nimmo.

But if the Mets keep receiving the version of Nimmo that has been the norm since the All-Star break, it might be time to start considering 2025.

Over his past 43 games as play began Tuesday, the outfielder owned an anemic .604 OPS that included a .182 batting average.

Over that stretch he was on a 192-strikeout pace for a full season.

Nimmo and the Mets continue to search for answers.

“It’s been interesting, because it’s not because his swing has completely changed or he is doing something drastic,” co-hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said before the Mets faced the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. “It’s just been death by a thousand paper cuts, and he’s been grinding trying to get back and then he’s felt he’s had it for a couple of days at a time and then just a little bit more of the same.”

Nimmo sizzled for a six-week stretch before the break, placing him in the conversation for a spot on the NL All-Star roster.

His OPS got as high as .832 following a game in which he homered against the Nationals on July 10, and the drop-off has been steady.

He entered play with a .745 OPS and had only one multi-hit game over the last three weeks.

If there’s been a theme, it’s Nimmo’s struggle to handle up-and-in and down-and-in pitches.

“We have looked at it and since the All-Star break, guys have executed pitches on him better than they were,” Barnes said. “So guys have been able to stuff balls in areas that are a little bit more of his weakness, so it’s been a little bit of trying to attack that, because guys have been able to execute, and I think it’s probably been too much of trying to cover that and not sticking with his strengths overall.

“That’s been in the big conversation that we’ve had: let’s keep things simple, let’s lean into your strengths and if they dot you up and in with a certain pitch, we have kind of got to gamble and take our chances, but let’s try to get back to hunting the pitches we can handle.”

The Mets lineup thrived after Francisco Lindor was moved into the leadoff spot in late May and Nimmo settled in at No. 2.

But Nimmo’s drop-off in recent weeks in part pushed manager Carlos Mendoza to shuffle the lineup. Mark Vientos has settled into the No. 2 hole with Nimmo behind him.

Barnes suggested that Nimmo has been a victim of his earlier season success to a degree.

“When you don’t feel your best it’s easy to hold yourself to the same standard as when you were as hot as you have ever been in your career,” Barnes said. “It’s about getting back to keeping it simple and finding those wins to build on and build that momentum of get back to where he was.”

The Mets began the day three games behind Atlanta for the NL’s third wild-card spot.

Barnes was asked about the feasibility of pulling off the comeback without Nimmo contributing.

“It’s not all on Nimmo’s shoulders,” Barnes said. “But when Nimmo is right, it helps.

“We’re not going to pin this postseason push simply down to Nimmo’s success or failures on the baseball field. If we are in the postseason I am quite certain Nimmo is going to contribute to that in some capacity. But it’s going to take a team effort.”