Mets’ Brandon Nimmo not expected to be on 10-day IL

The Mets gave Brandon Nimmo a proverbial stop sign a few weeks after he was injured on a slide at home plate.

After playing through pain in his right wrist for most of May, dating back to a series in Philadelphia, Nimmo was not in the starting lineup Saturday against the Phillies after undergoing an MRI exam he said revealed a sprained joint and required a cortisone shot.

“The last five days it has gotten a little worse,” Nimmo said, “so let’s nip it in the bud.”

The pain is worse on a foul ball or on a swing and miss than it is on fair contact, Nimmo admitted. It sounds as if the center fielder could miss the game Sunday, too, but he isn’t worried about landing on the 10-day injured list.

“Not at all. I’ve been playing on it for a while. This is more to get me back to 100 percent,” Nimmo said before the Mets’ 8-2 win over the Phillies at Citi Field. “Nothing to be too worried about. It’s just irritated right now. They want me to not be having pain on my swings. Hopefully the next couple days will help with that.”

Without Nimmo, the Mets lose a .385 on-base percentage (eighth in the National League), a batter who has a hit in 20 of his last 21 games and a runner who has reached base safely in 35 of his last 36 games. But manager Buck Showalter and hitting coach Eric Chavez noticed a problem with Nimmo’s wrist on a swing during the game Friday night — right before he tripled.

Mark Canha shifted from his normal spot in left field to replace Nimmo, utility infielder Luis Guillorme took over atop the lineup and outfielder Nick Plummer was recalled from Triple-A to provide insurance, while pitcher Yoan Lopez was optioned to the minors.

Showalter said he expected to have Nimmo available off the bench if needed, but this is a spot where Canha’s glove can buy time with minimal disruption.

“Mark gets the whole big picture of how the game is played,” Showalter said. “What happens if you start moving too many pieces around, he gets it. He understands his versatility is a real asset for us.”

Right fielder Starling Marte has 555 career starts in center field, but Showalter and Marte agreed that the best plan is to stick with a routine.

“I had that conversation with Marte in the spring and had it again two weeks later,” Showalter said. “I know what he would prefer to do. We’d like to leave him alone in right field. He’s getting comfortable out there, and the thing that he would rather not do is move around a lot. His preference is the same as mine.”