MIAMI — Brandon Nimmo didn’t waste a moment in starting to show the Mets it was money well spent to retain him over the winter.

In his first game since returning to the club on an eight-year contract worth $162 million, Nimmo was the offensive star of the Mets’ 5-3 Opening Day victory over the Marlins on Thursday.

Nimmo delivered a two-run double in the seventh inning for the go-ahead runs after drawing a walk in the sixth and scoring the Mets’ second run of the game on Francisco Lindor’s sacrifice fly.

Nimmo drove in the Mets’ first run of the season with a sacrifice fly in the third inning after Daniel Vogelbach’s leadoff walk against Sandy Alcantara.

“For me it was exciting to get back out there, and it felt like a home game,” Nimmo said, referring to the large contingent of Mets fans in attendance. “There was a lot of ‘Let’s go Mets,’ chants. … It was really awesome just to get back out there and get in front of the fans.”

Earlier in the day the team revealed co-ace Justin Verlander would begin the season on the injured list with a low-grade strain of the teres major, a muscle in the armpit area.

Nimmo said he tried to block out the news as he prepared for the opener.

“I tried not to think about it because Justin is a veteran, and he’s going to know what he can push through and what he can’t,” Nimmo said. “Let him feel ready to go, and it’s just another obstacle we have to overcome. We have already been dealt one with [Edwin] Diaz, and I am sure it’s not going to be the last, so we just have to try to keep rolling with the punches and keep our guys to the best of our ability on the field and healthy.”

Late in spring training Nimmo was an Opening Day question mark after spraining his right knee/ankle sliding into second base.

But Nimmo recovered quickly, ensuring the Mets would have their leadoff hitter and center fielder for Game 1.