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Robert could make his Grapefruit League debut with the Mets on Thursday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
The 28-year-old center fielder has been treated with kid gloves early in the spring, having him play exclusively on back fields, but the Mets appear just about ready to let Robert start ramping up in earnest ahead of Opening Day. "He's in a good place right now," manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday. "You just watch him take batting practice, and the way the ball comes off his bat is different. He could be special." It's been a while since Robert was healthy enough to display his considerable upside, but the last time he played close to a full season in 2023, he slashed .264/.315/.542 with 38 homers and 20 steals in 145 games.
Mets' Luis Robert: Sees back-field action Wednesday
Rotowire
Robert played four innings in a minor-league game Wednesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
The oft-injured outfielder is being brought along slowly this spring, but his Grapefruit League debut appears imminent. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicated after Wednesday's action that Robert would play in back-field games every other day for the rest of this week, before joining the big-league lineup at some point next week. New York is hoping that a healthy Robert will be able to repeat his numbers from his final month-plus last year with the White Sox, when he slashed .293/.349/.459 over 37 games after July 1 with six homers and 11 steals in 13 attempts.
The Mets will hold Robert out of the first few Grapefruit League games as he works on strengthening his lower body, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.
Per Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic, the center fielder won't see game action until the second week of the Grapefruit League schedule. Robert is healthy, but the club wants to be proactive given all the leg issues he's dealt with the last few years. The 28-year-old slashed only .223/.288/.372 while averaging 105 games played over his last two seasons with the White Sox, but he showed signs of life in the second half of 2025 with a .298/.352/.456 line before being shut down with a strained hamstring. Robert will be the Mets' everyday center fielder in 2026 for as long as he can stay healthy.
The White Sox traded Robert to the Mets on Tuesday in exchange for Luisangel Acuna and Truman Pauley, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Although he finished the 2025 campaign with a .661 OPS, Robert showed flashes of returning to his 2023 form by slashing .298/.352/.456 across 125 plate appearances after the All-Star break before a hamstring strain ended his season in late August. He also delivered his most productive season on the basepaths, tallying a career-high 33 stolen bases despite missing the final month of the year. With Jeff McNeil (shoulder), Brandon Nimmo and Cedric Mullins all having departed Queens this offseason, Robert figures to have a clear path to starting in center field every day for the Mets.
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