A night after he was pulled from a game and limped off the field, Brandon Nimmo was back in the Mets’ lineup Wednesday night.

The center fielder, who sustained a quadriceps contusion after fouling a ball off his right leg, passed pregame tests on Wednesday that allowed him to not miss any more time. Nimmo was surprised by how well he felt after describing the swelling after the game Tuesday as a “third kneecap.”

“He’s ready to go,” manager Buck Showalter said.

Shortly after fouling the ball off his leg in the seventh inning of the second game in the Mets’ doubleheader against the Cardinals on Tuesday, Nimmo tried to leg out an infield single. But his usual second gear wasn’t there, and after he was called out at first, he hobbled off the field looking to be he in real pain.

“One thing [trainer Brian Chicklo] said last night is that sometimes when you get hit directly on that muscle, it kind of shuts down,” Showalter said. “I think that’s why we saw such an awkward run. … If you’re not sure how that feels, go home tonight, take a hammer and hit it off your quad.”

Asked if he had tried that, Showalter said, “I always want to feel what my players are feeling, but I’m not doing that.”

Starling Marte is expected to return to the Mets from the bereavement list on Thursday, Showalter said. It remains to be seen whether the outfielder, who was mourning the death of his grandmother, will be activated in time for the 1:10 p.m. game Thursday or will wait until Friday and the series opener against the Rockies.

The Mets’ biggest weakness early in the season has been their bullpen, but Showalter said he has been impressed by the depth-relievers they have called up from Triple-A Syracuse.

The latest was right-hander Adonis Medina, who threw 2 ²/₃ scoreless innings on Tuesday to give him 6 ¹/₃ shutout innings (across three stints) on the season. Showalter also mentioned Jake Reed, who threw two scoreless innings Tuesday, though he joined Medina (the 27th man) in heading back to Syracuse by the end of the day.

“But when they present themselves like that, that’s why they come back,” Showalter said. “We’ll have another need [at some point]. Even Colin Holderman, that’s some interesting stuff he presents. So far, so good.”

While the Mets figure to be in the trade market to add another reliever or two this summer, Showalter said it was important to first find out what they have in their own system.

“We spend so much time coveting other players from other clubs and a lot of times, the answer’s in your own backyard,” Showalter said. “I know [general manager Billy Eppler] and our organization have been very adamant [about], ‘Let’s make sure they’re not right here before you go coveting something else.’ ”