Mets Notes: Brandon Nimmo resumes baseball activity; prospect Nolan McLean pitching Tuesday

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke ahead of Monday's spring training game, taking place at 6:10 p.m. on SNY.

Here are the most important notes...

Brandon Nimmo trending in the right direction

Nimmo, who had been shut down for a few days over the weekend after getting a gel injection in his knee, resumed baseball activity on Monday, Mendoza said.

"Hopefully he's back in action here pretty soon," Mendoza added about Nimmo's return to games.

An MRI on Nimmo's knee early last week revealed nothing the team was worried about, with Mendoza noting that the outfielder would be playing if it was the regular season.

However, Nimmo's road back has been a bit longer than anticipated. He was initially expected to return to the lineup this past Saturday or Sunday.

Nimmo made his Grapefruit League debut on March 1, but he's been out of the lineup since due to knee soreness.

Asked last week whether this was a new injury or something that often nags Nimmo, Mendoza said:

"I think in the past he's had some soreness there. But talking to him, talking to the trainers, they're not too concerned about it."

Over the last handful of spring trainings, Nimmo has been methodical when it comes to his preparation for the season, often not playing in games until late February or early March.

That approach has paid off, with him playing 151 or more regular season games each of the last three seasons.

After Monday's game, Mendoza mentioned Nimmo "had a good day in the cages" and may DH in a game soon.

"I'll probably give him a day or two of full baseball activity, like taking BP on the field... Maybe we'll see him DH in a couple of days or so," Mendoza said.

Nolan McLean getting a chance on Tuesday

The Mets have already gotten a look this spring at what top pitching prospect Brandon Sproat can do in game action.

Now, it's the 23-year-old McLean's turn.

McLean, who is slated to pitch on Tuesday against the Astros after Tylor Megill starts, is the No. 3 prospect on SNY contributor Joe DeMayo's updated top 30 Mets prospects list.

Like Sproat, McLean -- who is now a full-time pitcher after entering the organization as a two-way player -- could make his big league debut this year.

McLean, who features four-and two-seam fastballs, a changeup, curve ball, and cutter, split last season between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, posting a 3.78 ERA and 1.25 WHIP while striking out 116 batters in 109.2 innings over 25 starts.

The expectation is that he'll begin this season back with Binghamton, with a quick promotion to Triple-A Syracuse possible if he excels.