Notes: Stroman's recovery; Nimmo leads off

NEW YORK -- Although Marcus Stroman stopped short of providing a timeline for his return from a torn left calf muscle, he plans to continue throwing bullpen sessions while rehabbing in an attempt to come back sooner than he otherwise would.

Stroman said he has no physical issues throwing a baseball, as he proved when he threw a 55-pitch bullpen session earlier this week. His problems are more with athletic movements around the mound. The Mets placed Stroman on the injured list Wednesday, with both manager Luis Rojas and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen calling it a “week-to-week” proposition.

“My recovery methods are with the best of them,” Stroman said. “I do everything to make sure I’m going to be able to play this game for a very, very, very, very long time. This is not something I’m worried about, because honestly, if I had never gotten the MRI, I would probably still be making my start.”

Stroman initially suffered the injury on July 12, when a comebacker struck his calf during an intrasquad game at Citi Field. Five days later, he exacerbated the injury while covering first base on a ground ball.

“I got hit with a rocket in my leg,” Stroman said. “My leg was literally blown up, massive.”

Even then, he agreed to an MRI simply to be “precautionary.” When that test revealed a muscle tear, Stroman said it was “definitely shocking.”

Since that time, Stroman has received daily treatment, arriving at Citi Field at 9 a.m. ET on Opening Day to go through a regimen of pool therapy and soft-tissue work. He has a hyperbaric chamber in his home that he also uses for recovery.

The problem is less about how much pain Stroman is feeling and more about how quickly the injury can mend. Stroman indicated he will not be cleared to pitch until an MRI shows that the tear has fully healed.

“We know this isn’t days,” Van Wagenen said. “But big picture or long term, this is not anything he or we are concerned about. We want to get him back as quickly as possible and as safely as possible.”

With Stroman sidelined, the Mets carried right-hander Corey Oswalt, who is stretched out as a starter, on their 30-man Opening Day roster. Team officials have not revealed if they plan to use Oswalt or proceed with a bullpen game when they need a fifth starter Tuesday in Boston.

Leading man
In the end, the Mets took a traditional route with their Opening Day lineup, placing Brandon Nimmo first and Jeff McNeil second. Robinson Canó, who had been a candidate to hit as high as third, slotted in sixth.

“We played around with the guys in different spots in the lineup,” Rojas said. “We have guys that they have the ability to hit in different spots in the lineup, and there’s so much depth. … Today, this is just our Opening Day lineup.”

Nimmo profiles as an ideal leadoff hitter due to his historically high on-base percentage -- he owns a career .387 OBP, best of any Met -- and speed. McNeil, meanwhile, is a strong No. 2 hitter due to his ability to hit balls to all fields. Still, Rojas has said there will be times when McNeil leads off this season. Amed Rosario could also lead off against lefties on occasion.

Mets, Braves unite
In a show of unity before their Opening Day game, Mets and Braves players lined up at Citi Field, bending down together to pick up a long black cloth that stretched down the third-base line, around home plate and up the other side of the field. During the presentation, a Black Lives Matter video produced by The Players Alliance -- a nonprofit organization made up of current and former Black baseball players -- ran on the Citi Field video board.

No players from either team kneeled during the national anthem, which was sung in a virtual performance by essential workers who put themselves at risk during the coronavirus crisis in New York. But the letters “BLM” were stenciled onto the back of the pitcher’s mound, below the Major League Baseball logo.

"For me, taking a knee just isn't enough," Mets first baseman Dominic Smith said earlier this week, adding that he is fully supportive of those around the league who have. "If you really want to show change, there's things you can do on your own time, in the offseason, to show how much you really want to change."

Welcome to The Show
Rookie Andrés Giménez said he was “really surprised” to learn that he made the Mets’ Opening Day roster. The organization’s third-ranked prospect, Giménez will be used mostly as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner late in games. Upon learning of the Mets’ decision, Giménez said he immediately called his family.

“I’ll be ready for everything,” Giménez said.

Like father, like son
Before his first Opening Day as a Major League manager, Rojas planned to carve out time to speak on the phone with his father, Felipe Alou, a longtime manager for the Expos and Giants. Rojas grew up in the Montreal clubhouse, rubbing elbows with Expos players as he learned the nuances of professional baseball.

Rojas said his father does not talk to him about specific Mets issues, but instead offers more general advice on “life and baseball.”

“He always drops something in there and it’s always so much appreciated,” Rojas said. "Some of it is stuff that I’ve heard before, but it’s still appreciated. He always just wishes us the best and gives us the blessing. He says the family’s been blessed in baseball.”

In addition to Alou, who lives in Florida, Rojas said he knew his wife and son would be watching from their home in New York, as well as his brother, Moises Alou, and other family members from the Dominican Republic.

“I haven’t seen them in a while,” Rojas said. “But I’ll feel them watching. I’ll feel their support.”