TORONTO -- Luis Robert Jr., a key Mets offseason acquisition who has been sidelined since late April, is finally making tangible progress from a lumbar spine disc herniation.
Robert began a Minor League rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Syracuse, playing five innings in center field and finishing 1-for-2 with a walk, while putting into motion a timeline that should have him back on the field in July. He was joined in Syracuse by infielder Jorge Polanco, who went 0-for-3 as the DH.
For weeks after Robert played in his last Major League game on April 26, he made little apparent progress. But Robert restarted baseball activities earlier this month, setting him up to appear in real games this week. While the Mets don’t have an exact timeframe for Robert’s return, a person with knowledge of the situation estimated he will need a longer spell in the Minors than Francisco Lindor, who returned to the Mets six days after beginning a rehab assignment. Position players can stay on assignment for up to 20 days.
Robert, 28, may have to earn back playing time once he recovers, as the Mets have rolled most days with a relatively successful outfield alignment of Juan Soto, A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge. Ewing has fared notably worse against left-handed pitchers, however, so Robert should at least be able to carve out a role on the short side of a center-field platoon.
“It’s a right-handed bat that we’ve missed pretty obviously against left-handed pitching,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said.
An offseason trade acquisition from the White Sox, Robert was batting .224 with two homers and a .656 OPS prior to landing on the injured list. The back issue was the latest in a career-defining string of injuries for Robert, who has missed significant time in the past due to hip, knee and hamstring issues.
Polanco, 32, suspended his rehab assignment earlier this month after experiencing renewed left ankle soreness during Minor League games. He has been bothered by an Achilles issue near the ankle since as far back as Spring Training. During Polanco’s latest shutdown, Mets officials abandoned plans to rehab him as a first baseman. They are now asking Polanco to prepare only as a DH.
Similar to Robert, it’s unclear how many Minor League games Polanco will need. While the Mets won’t rush either hitter back to the Majors, they’ll be happy for the help when those two do arrive.
“[Polanco] really rounds out a lineup with an ability to hit from both sides,” Green said. “Some of the at-bats that we’ve had late in games, when you have those guys, you have more options. Even if they’re on a bench on a given day, you’ve got more choices that work really well. I think it’s just a longer, more diverse lineup.”