Luis Robert Jr.’s Recovery Still Uncertain
There’s a lot of unknowns surrounding whether Luis Robert Jr. will make a comeback from the 60-day injured list. He’s dealing with a back injury, and, well, it’s a bit of a situation.
“It’s not ideal,” said manager Carlos Mendoza regarding the outfielder’s ongoing challenges, especially given he’s had issues with lower-body injuries in recent seasons with the White Sox. Robert faced a herniated disc in his lumbar spine back in April.
After the Mets squeezed out a 5-4 victory over the Cardinals at Citi Field, Mendoza noted, “This is the first time he’s reacted like this.”
When asked if surgery might be necessary, Robert, through an interpreter, expressed that he didn’t think that would be the case. He, having joined the Mets this offseason via a trade that saw Luis Angel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley head to Chicago, mentioned he’s optimistic about running again at some point this season.
At 28, Robert is three years removed from being named an All-Star with the White Sox. He’s currently limited to just playing catch and hitting in a cage. He plans to start running next week, but that’s a far cry from being back on the field.
“I’m slowly getting back into doing a bit of everything,” Robert said through the interpreter. Honestly, at the onset of this injury, I didn’t expect it to drag on this long. It was a new injury, and, well, it worsened as time passed.
Mendoza added how challenging it is to gauge what Robert is experiencing. “It’s always frustrating,” he noted, “especially with a player of his calibre who struggles to stay on the field for whatever reason.”
The Mets had hoped to manage previous injuries during spring training, yet new ones popped up.
In Robert’s absence, AJ Ewing has stepped up in center field, showcasing some promising defensive skills and potential offensive contributions.
Meanwhile, Robert’s offseason trade involved some risks that haven’t yielded benefits yet, particularly as Jorge Polanco also faced injury issues, and Bo Bichette struggled for much of the season. Interestingly, Bichette finally found his groove, hitting his sixth home run of the season recently, driving in two runs after a slump.
In a different scenario on the mound, Christian Scott saw his velocity dip, giving up a career-high three home runs in 4⅓ innings. He struck out 10 out of 13 batters until a single by Jordan Walker in the fifth sent him packing. “I got punched in the mouth, and then I punched them back,” Scott reflected on bouncing back from earlier challenges.
The Mets are cautiously optimistic about Kodai Chiga’s rehabilitation, which hit a snag when he developed an abrasion due to ulnar nerve irritation in his right arm during a Double-A game. In another bullpen adjustment, right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte was brought up from Triple-A Syracuse, while Jonathan Pintaro was sent down.
