Davis' shoulder MRI shows no new damage

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- An MRI taken on J.D. Davis’ left shoulder Wednesday revealed no new structural damage, but existing labrum damage that had previously been asymptomatic. A day after jamming his shoulder on an infield dive, Davis felt “a little achy, a little sore,” but called that “expected.”

The Mets do not consider the existing labrum tear a major issue for Davis, who will begin rehabbing immediately in Port St. Lucie. Davis said he was not even aware of the previous injury until Wednesday morning, when a doctor called it the type of “wear and tear” that most athletes experience over time.

The team intends to reevaluate Davis in a week, at which point it could clear him for baseball activities.

“We’re going to see how his symptoms progress here over the next couple of days, get him moving, and hopefully be able to have a better handle after the next week in terms of when his physical activity will be able to be,” general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said.

Van Wagenen termed the news “positive,” one day after Davis jammed his shoulder diving after a ground ball against the Tigers. The Mets’ starting left fielder in the second half last season, Davis hit .307 with 22 home runs and an .895 OPS in 140 games. Davis again projects to start in left for the Mets this season, but he has spent significant time getting third-base reps this spring.

“As you might imagine, he’s a little achy today,” Van Wagenen said. “But achy is a good feeling relative to where we could have been. We’ll see how the achiness responds, and hopefully we can get him on a good track.”

The Mets had reason for concern after Davis spent several moments lying on the dirt in Lakeland, Fla., on Tuesday after jamming his shoulder. Davis said he wasn’t sure how to react because he had never injured his shoulder before, so he tried to stay still until a trainer could tend to him.

Range-of-motion testing in Lakeland revealed no structural damage, but the Mets sent Davis for an MRI on Wednesday to confirm that.

“Definitely when you’re recommended an MRI, it’s kind of scary just for the sake that you’re wishing that there was no structural damage or anything serious,” Davis said. “Shoulders can be tricky. First day, it’s going to be just rehabbing. And then we’ll just go from there, and progress back to baseball activities.”

Nimmo scratched
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo was a late scratch from Wednesday’s game against the Astros because the Mets wanted to send him for extra cardiac screening. In a statement, the team said its cardiologist recommended the additional testing, which Nimmo completed Wednesday.

Saying he was unaware of the specifics of Nimmo’s condition, manager Luis Rojas indicated that it likely stemmed from an issue with outfielder’s pre-camp physical. Rojas said he did not know there was an problem with Nimmo’s test results until batting practice; the team scratched Nimmo less than an hour before game time.

“I know it’s something not to be overly concerned [with], but we need to get this done at this time,” Rojas said. “The earlier, the better, and then we’ll find out more as time goes.”

Nimmo was undergoing testing on Wednesday afternoon, and he was unavailable for comment.