The Mets announced that outfielder Luis Robert Jr. he was placed on the 60-day disabled list. The 40-man roster has vacancies but is now full for this program. Midfielder/outfielder Eric Wagaman optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to open an active roster spot. Will Samson of The Athletic reported on Robert’s performance before the official announcement. The Mets also announced that pitcher Zack Shortwho was designated for assignment last week, was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Robert was acquired in an unsuccessful offseason trade. The Mets sent an infielder/outfielder Luisangel Acuña and a minor league pitcher Truman Pauley to the White Sox to get Robert. The Mets were hoping Robert would stay healthy while producing at a consistent level but that hasn’t happened yet. He hit .224/.327/.329 in 98 plate appearances before a lumbar spine disc herniation landed him on the IL at the end of April.
As he returns, the Mets will have different expectations than they did a few months ago. At this point, they hope to salvage some value in a trade before the August 3 deadline. The club is 42-58 and ten games out of the playoffs. It is said that they have started applying for sales. Robert’s contract has a $20MM club option for 2027, with a $2MM buyout, but that doesn’t look attractive since Robert has been injured and/or inactive for nearly three years now.
At his best, Robert is a borderline MVP candidate. He showed that form in 2023. He stayed fit and managed to get into 145 games. He hit 38 home runs and stole 20 bases while running the ball into center field. FanGraphs pegged the entire season as worth five wins above replacement. He finished 12th in the American League MVP voting that year.
But that level of production from Robert was rare. Due to frequent injuries, it was his only season in which he played more than 110 games. Earlier in his career, he used to put up good numbers when he was healthy. But since that 2023 campaign, he hasn’t been good on the field. He has a .223/.292/.367 line in 954 plate appearances since the start of the 2024 season.
The Mets will hope that Robert can show even better glimpses between now and the deadline. Accordingly, he hit .323/.400/.548 in his minor league rehab career, albeit in a small sample of 35 plate appearances. Even if he remains hot in the big leagues, teams will be skeptical because of his injury history and inconsistent record. Still, it’s hard to find good center fielders, so the Mets should get some interest. They will have to eat a significant portion of his remaining salary to make a deal but they must be willing to do so.
It will be interesting to watch the playtime soon. The outfield is well organized AJ Ewing in the middle, to the side Juan Soto again Carson Benge. Jorge Polanco has been used only as a designated hitter since leaving IL earlier this month. Presumably, the Mets should want to have Robert there while trying to drum up trade interest. That would mean some days off for those other guys, although the logjam will ease if Robert is thrown elsewhere in the coming weeks.
More to come.
