Tyrone

Taylor

Robert Jr. is dealing with lower back tightness and has missed the last three games. It’s unclear if the Mets will put him on the injured list, but Tyrone Taylor will start in center field and sixth on Wednesday.

And then he got removed for a pinch-hitter in the ninth anyway. Taylor’s homer off Jose Quintana was his second of the year. He’s supposed to mostly play against lefties, but with Juan Soto limited to DH duties since returning, there is some extra outfield time available at the moment. Like Saturday, when he gave Luis Robert Jr. a day off against a righty.

The Mets have planned on giving the 28-year-old outfielder regular days of rest this season to keep him fresh and giving the elite production that he has provided so far, there’s no reason to shy away from that plan. Carson Benge will slide over and start in center field while Tyrone Taylor patrols left field and will bat ninth for the Mets against A’s right-hander Aaron Civale.

Soto singled in his lone at-bat and then came up a little lame running from first to third before being replaced by Tyrone Taylor in left field. He’s probably day-to-day, but he could DH a couple of times if it remains an issue this weekend.

The 23-year-old rookie outfielder started each of the team’s first five ballgames but has now found himself on the bench for two straight contests against opposing left-handers. It looks like he’ll be stuck in the strong side of a platoon role for the time being. Benge has homered and stolen a pair of bases already for fantasy managers this season but has done so while hitting an anemic .158 (3-for-19) with three runs scored, one RBI and a 7/2 K/BB ratio. Tyrone Taylor will start in his place and bat ninth against Robbie Ray and the Giants on Thursday evening.

Yonatan Henriquez singed in Jason Bay to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Taylor suffered a power outage last season, hitting just two homers in 341 plate appearances for the Mets, so it’s good to see him hitting the ball a little farther this spring. He’ll probably open up as the team’s right fielder against left-handers and the backup to Luis Robert Jr. in center.

It was a no-doubter off lefty reliever Steven Okert, a 419-footer that left the bat at 106.0 miles per hour. Taylor seems ticketed for reserve duty behind Luis Robert Jr. this year and probably doesn’t have a real path to fantasy value barring several injuries ahead of him. It’s nice to see that the power is still there when he makes real contact.

It’s way too early to draw any firm conclusions, but the social media chatter hasn’t been overly positive as Bichette transitions to the hot corner in his Mets debut. His defense will be picked apart throughout spring training but there are few reservations from an offensive standpoint, which is the primary concern for fantasy managers. New York has already confirmed that he won’t take over at shortstop temporarily while Francisco Lindor recovers from a hamate injury. The other notable developments here are fellow offseason acquisition Marcus Semien in the leadoff spot with Juan Soto heading over to left field. Here is the full lineup: Semien (2B), Soto (LF), Bichette (3B), Tyrone Taylor (CF), Ronny Mauricio (SS), MJ Melendez (RF), Austin Barnes (C), Jose Rojas (1B) and Chris Suero (DH).

Robert has been largely ineffective the last two years and has quite the injury history, but he’s 28, he’s a legit center fielder and he has a career 111 OPS+. This is definitely worth a shot for the Mets, who will be responsible for paying $22 million for one year or $40 million for two. They’ll presumably handle him better than a White Sox organization that mostly expected position players to play through injury. Tyrone Taylor had topped the Mets’ depth chart in center, but now he’ll serve as the fourth outfielder he’s meant to be. He’ll presumably be on the short side of a platoon with Brett Baty in left initially, assuming the Carson Benge now starts off in Triple-A. With Acuña, who was out of options, departing, Ronny Mauricio seems poised for a utility role.

Taylor will hit free agency after the 2026 season. The 31-year-old posted an ugly .598 OPS in 2025, but still provides value because of his defensive ability.