Luis Robert Jr. getting a day off on Sunday

It’s not unusual to see clubs place expensive veterans on waivers at this time of year to see if anyone else would be willing to take on the remainder of their contract. The 29-year-old slugger has three million remaining on his contract for this season, plus a $20 million club option for the 2027 campaign with a $2 million buyout, so the claiming team would be taking on $5 million in salary if planning on declining the option.

Robert’s home run was his 10th of the year. He hit a solo shot off Chad Patrick in the sixth inning. Robert is 13-for-41 (.317) with six home runs and 11 RBI over his last 14 games. He’s hitting .232 with a .737 OPS and 23 RBI this season.

Robert will get a break for the series finale against San Diego. Brett Baty will play in left field with Robert out, and A.J. Ewing will get the start in center.

Robert has only ever played center field as a major leaguer, but the Mets believe A.J. Ewing is the better option there these days and have had Robert working out in left. Robert is out of the lineup today after starting in center the Mets’ previous three games.

Robert’s homer was a two-run shot off Jared Jones in the third inning, one of 15 hits the Mets would total on the afternoon. He remains a talented ballplayer, but injuries and ineffectiveness have limited his fantasy potential for most of his career. Worse, his stolen-base attempts have cratered in 2026. Robert has played three straight games just once since returning from the IL on July 20. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Mets continued that plan to keep him healthy down the stretch.

No surprise after Benge suffered a left wrist injury on a collision with the left-field wall while making a sliding catch during Friday’s contest. The positive news for the Mets, and fantasy managers, is that initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures, and the Mets are currently calling it a bone bruise. It sounds like he could be back by the middle of next week. It’ll be fellow rookie A.J. Ewing taking over in left field with Luis Robert Jr. patrolling center field and Brett Baty in the opposite corner.

The Mets are being careful to ease the dynamic 29-year-old outfielder back into a full-time role. giving him ample days off to make sure that he remains fresh. A.J. Ewing will slide over and cover center field on Friday night while Brett Baty starts in right field and will bat seventh against Carmen Mlodzinski and the Pirates.

Taylor provides Chicago with a reliable lefty-mashing backup outfielder heading into the home stretch. He’s been sizzling hot ever since returning from the injured list back in late June, hitting .354 with seven homers in 24 games.

This is a big one. Chicago came into the trade deadline desperately seeking starting pitching help and they’ve seemingly came away with Holmes in addition to veteran Kevin Gausman. They paid a steep price to land the impending free agent as Rojas is one of their better infield prospects. The emergence of Pedro Ramírez as an everyday option at the highest level seems to be what made him expendable. Holmes looked sharp in a pair of recent minor league rehab outings and should step into Chicago’s new-look rotation by mid-August, if not sooner. Taylor feels like a throw-in, but he’s been sizzling-hot at the dish lately and provides the Cubs with a lefty-mashing bench option for the home stretch.

The Mets got a two-out rally started in the eighth as Bo Bichette doubled and Carson Benge followed with a single and a stolen base. Robert then smacked a single into left field that plated both of them, proving to be the difference in the ballgame. He finished the night 1-for-4 and is now slashing a disappointing .202/.300/.333 with four homers, 12 RBI and two stolen bases in his first 130 plate appearances with the Mets.