WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Brandon Nimmo’s stiff neck is the latest ailment the Mets are monitoring in these final hours of spring training. 

The outfielder was given a day off Monday, after dealing with soreness in the neck the previous day. He is also unlikely to play Tuesday’s Grapefruit League finale, according to manager Buck Showalter, giving him an opportunity for further rest. 

“I expect him in there Thursday,” Showalter said, referring to the season opener in Washington. 

The manager said he was aware of the bulging disk in Nimmo’s neck that landed him on the injured list in 2019. Nimmo also had neck stiffness early in camp that subsided, according to Showalter. 

Though Starling Marte has extensive center-field experience, Showalter kept him in right on Monday to receive additional reps at the position he will likely play the most in the regular season. Mark Canha played center field with Jeff McNeil in left. 

Showalter likely won’t unveil his rotation plans until Wednesday, a day after Max Scherzer’s bullpen session to test his right hamstring. Scherzer was scratched from his Saturday start because of the hamstring discomfort. If Scherzer is ready to pitch, the manager could potentially schedule him for Thursday or Friday, with Jacob deGrom’s replacement starting the other game. Tylor Megill, Trevor Williams and David Peterson are the main candidates for deGrom’s rotation spot. 

Pete Alonso arrived to the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and realized his spikes wouldn’t be arriving. It forced the first baseman to make an emergency run to a local sporting goods store about two hours before first pitch. 

“Can you imagine sitting in Dick’s Sporting Goods about 10 o’clock and here comes Pete Alonso walking through to buy a pair of spikes?” Showalter said. 

Tomas Nido’s strong camp, both at the plate and handling pitchers, hasn’t gone unnoticed by Showalter. The catcher has posted a 1.023 OPS this spring with two homers (one of which isn’t reflected in the statistics because the umpires aren’t allowed to review calls in spring training). 

“I know [Nido] has always had a great reputation defensively and I can see why, but he’s made some strides,” Showalter said. “I bet he’s up there toward the top [in hitting]. When you get those two things you are in good shape.”