Brandon Nimmo back in Mets lineup after heart scare

PORT ST. LUCIE — It’s medically official: Brandon Nimmo has a big heart.

“I’ve got a lot of love to give,” the Mets’ eternally cheery outfielder said Friday morning at Clover Field.

Nimmo will return to the starting lineup Friday, with the Mets taking on the Cardinals, after missing Wednesday’s and Thursday’s action to undergo a series of cardiological examinations, the news of which understandably set off alarms among the Mets’ fan base. It turned out that the 26-year-old has an irregular heartbeat that only manifests itself, Nimmo explained, when he’s resting.

“The one thing they wanted to check for (was that the) heart walls aren’t thickened. They aren’t,” Nimmo said. “I’m healthy. I have a little bit of a larger heart.”

An EKG highlighted the irregular heartbeat, yet Nimmo didn’t panic because he experienced the same problem in 2016, he said. Upon learning of this issue, he underwent a battery of tests for 24 hours and then used a wearable device for the next 24 hours as he underwent a stress test, which he passed. The irregular heartbeat doesn’t recur when he’s at peak exertion.

“From the Mets’ standpoint, it was about looking out for my health and making sure they checked all the boxes,” Nimmo said. And now that they’ve done so, he added, “I should be good to go for the rest of my time with the Mets.”