Luis Robert Jr. to make debut in left field

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’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.

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.

Semien is back at second base and hitting sixth after sitting out the front-end of Wednesday’s twin bill. The 35-year-old veteran has been on a tear at the dish recently, homering three times in his last five games. The other change for New York involves Luis Robert Jr. taking a turn in center field with rookie sensation A.J. Ewing on the bench.

The Mets likely only want Robert Jr. to play in one game of the doubleheader, thanks to his checkered injury history, so they will opt to play him in Game 2 against left-hander Chris Sale. Tyrone Taylor will start in left field and bat seventh.

It’s the second time this week that Robert has found himself on the bench as the Mets ease him back into a full-time workload following a lengthy stay on the injured list. A.J. Ewing will slide over and cover center field while Tyrone Taylor starts in left field and will bat seventh for the Mets against Dodgers’ right-hander Emmet Sheehan.

With Luis Robert Jr. off the injured list, there was an expectation that the Mets would rotate through their outfielders, but Robert Jr. is on the bench for this one too. Brett Baty will start in right field, which will allow Jorge Polanco to DH and Marcus Semien to play second base. There will be a logjam at certain positions over the next week or so until the Mets can trade some players away.

Robert laced a 451-foot moon shot in the eighth inning that left the bat at 112.2 mph. It was his only hit in the two games since coming off the injured list with a lumbar spine disk herniation, but it was also a good reminder of the loud, raw tools that the 28-year-old possesses. The Mets are likely going to play Robert Jr. regularly over the next couple of weeks in the hopes of being able to trade him at the deadline and free up regular outfield starts for rookies Carson Benge and AJ Ewing.