New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo was unable to play against the host Washington Nationals on Monday night after suffering a fainting spell earlier in the morning in which he hit his head.
The incident occurred shortly after 5 a.m. in Nimmo’s hotel room.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Nimmo did not suffer a concussion. The 31-year-old was examined, including a CT scan and an EKG.
“He went through all the tests this morning,” Mendoza told reporters before Monday’s game. “We wanted to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Fortunately, everything was negative, so I think we got lucky there.”
Nimmo, who wore a bandage on his forehead, told reporters he woke up at about 5:15 a.m. not feeling well. He said he went to the bathroom and began to have cramps before passing out. Nimmo said when he came to, his forehead was bleeding and he did not know why.
Nimmo said he called Mets manager Joe Golia, who came into the room to check on him and then took him to the hospital.
“I’ve never fainted,” Nimmo said. “There’s never been a moment in my life that I can’t come back from. It’s a strange feeling.”
Doctors told Nimmo that he may have suffered a temporary loss of blood to the brain, as the muscle spasm likely caused an accelerated heartbeat. Fear of feeling unwell may also have played a role.
“It could happen once in a lifetime and you never have to deal with it again,” Nimmo said. “I asked them, ‘Is there anything I can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?’ And they said, ‘No.’ Sometimes a perfect storm happens. What I understood is … when your blood pressure drops, your brain loses blood for about a second. And you’re out.
“I probably wasn’t unconscious for very long. But long enough to fall and do a little damage.”
Nimmo has a .247 batting average with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs, which is the team’s most RBIs in 77 games. On Sunday, he hit his 100th career home run, going 3 for 4 with a walk, three RBIs and two runs in a 10-5 loss in 11 innings to the Houston Astros.
Jeff McNeil started in left field on Monday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mets’ Brandon Nimmo faints in hotel, injures head
