Mets' Brandon Nimmo cleared to play after cardiac test

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — After getting cleared to play by a cardiologist, Brandon Nimmo could joke.

“I guess I have a little bit larger heart," the New York Mets outfielder said Friday. “Hey, I’ve got a lot of love to give.”

Nimmo was removed from the starting lineup before Wednesday's game against Houston.

“They got a report from the cardiologist that they would just like to look at something that had gone on with the physical that we did,” Nimmo said. “This was something that happened in 2016 — something that I had to be pulled aside for. It’s something I had, and they wanted to re-check it.”

After a series of tests and monitoring that included 24 hours with a wearable device, the 26-year-old was back in the lineup on Friday against St. Louis.

The Mets became cautious when they noticed an irregularity in Nimmo’s electrocardiogram. Nimmo also underwent an echocardiogram to ensure he didn’t have thickened heart walls.

“The layman way they put it for me was an ‘irregular heartbeat.’ But it doesn’t happen to me when I get up to 85% of my heart rate. It doesn’t affect how I play. It’s just a resting heart rate and didn’t appear during my peak physical exertion,” Nimmo said. “I wasn’t concerned. It was more frustrating on my end. But I understood. The heart’s a different thing. You want to check all the boxes on that.”

Nimmo’s wife, Chelsea, surprised him by tweeting Thursday “he’s healthy and feels great" followed by “I also apologize in advance if this breaks any rules I don’t know about.”

Nimmo played center field and went 1 for 2 with a run in a 3-2 win.

Right-hander Marcus Stroman and Robinson Canó made their spring training debuts.

Acquired July 28 from Toronto for top pitching prospects Anthony Kay...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Mets-Brandon-Nimmo-cleared-to-play-after-cardiac-15093646.php