Nimmo Meets Former Mets Club as Rangers Chase AL West Crown

The outfielder, traded to Texas last offseason, faced New York in Arlington as the Mets named a new manager the same day.

Brandon Nimmo greeted his former club at Globe Life Field on Tuesday as the Rangers opened a three-game series with the Mets, arriving just hours after New York named a new manager. Nimmo had been dealing with a stomach illness that lasted a full day but was ready to play. He also revisited the story, spread during 2019 spring training by then-manager Mickey Callaway, that blamed undercooked chicken for an ailment — an account Nimmo has said was invented.

Texas enters the series in a tight race with Houston atop the AL West, and capturing the division likely represents the club's sole path to the playoffs. Nimmo acknowledged that the Mets, despite a disappointing record, have looked stronger since the trade deadline and called them a dangerous opponent.

Speaking with reporters, Nimmo described New York's year as two separate seasons and said the current roster plays better baseball than the group that opened the year. He also addressed his departure, saying he believed he and Pete Alonso were viewed not as the cause of past failures but as players who did not fit the plan going forward.

Nimmo was drafted in the first round by the Mets and signed an eight-year deal in December 2022 hoping to stay with the organization for his whole career. He initially resisted waiving his no-trade clause in the deal that sent Marcus Semien to New York. Semien, meanwhile, returned to the city where he helped the Rangers win the 2023 World Series, the franchise's first title.

In injury news, Mets right-hander Christian Scott's season is over because of knee inflammation after he slipped while warming up before his most recent start. He went on the 15-day injured list, and closer Devin Williams was activated in the corresponding move.