MILWAUKEE — A Remarkable Return for Luis Robert Jr.
If the Mets had forgotten about Luis Robert Jr., they got a crash reminder during Tuesday night’s game. The outfielder launched a 451-foot home run—the longest hit at American Family Field this year—and contributed to the Mets’ 4-0 win against the Brewers.
This was only Robert’s second game back after being placed on injured reserve. He had been out since April 27 due to a herniated disc in his lower back.
“Yesterday and today, I was just working to find my rhythm in the early at-bats,” Robert communicated through an interpreter.
Statcast revealed that his home run was the fifth-longest of his career and the longest among his three home runs this season. He played in center field, alongside rookies AJ Ewing and Carson Benge.
“It’s great because when we work together, it limits the ground each of us has to cover,” Robert remarked. “We can all be close to the ball at any moment, making it really fun.”
Benge, after struggling for nearly a month, seems to have turned the corner and hasn’t faltered since.
By the time Tuesday rolled around, Benge had an .809 OPS this July, building on solid performances from recent months. After hitting .801 in May and posting a .750 OPS in June, his steadiness has been a breath of fresh air for a team facing dips in performance from its veterans. It’s noteworthy that he had an OPS of .498 as of May 2nd.
“I’m just adjusting to the league,” Benge said, managing to go 2-for-5 with two hits and two RBIs that night. “Once we got a handle on that, it helped us know how to recalibrate if things went south.”
Andy Green, who took over as interim manager after overseeing the farm system, isn’t surprised by Benge’s consistency.
“He’s built to handle the ups and downs of the majors without overreacting to setbacks; those minor issues can snowball,” Green noted. “He just shows up, plays baseball, and it pays off. When he makes contact at the right angles, good things happen.”
Meanwhile, Clay Holmes is set to pitch in a minor league rehab game later this week, although Green wasn’t certain about the specifics. Holmes, who is recovering from a fractured fibula, completed 45 pitches in a simulated game over the weekend.
