Luis Robert Jr. regrets how injury-riddled Mets stint played out

Of all the parts of the 2026 season that went sideways for the Mets, perhaps the most predictable was Luis Robert Jr.having another injury-filled season after being acquired from the White Sox in the offseason.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.

And while Pete Alonso was treated as a conquering hero in his return to Citi Field on Monday with the Orioles, the injured Robert, not surprisingly, fell far under the radar. Robert’s brief Mets tenure included a carefully planned schedule designed to help him avoid the leg injuries that affected him the previous two seasons in Chicago, followed by a rocky first month of the regular season. A nearly three-month absence due to lumbar spine disc herniation followed. When he finally began to produce, putting up an OPS of 1.061 in an 18-game stretch in August, A.J.Ewing had already established himself as the everyday center fielder. Robert — on the IL again with Baltimore after being claimed off waivers in a move that saved the Mets $5 million — said there was regret with how his brief tenure in Queens worked out. “It was difficult,” Robert said through an interpreter about his time with the Mets, during which he appeared in just 58 games.

“We had the talent to be a playoff team and get where we wanted to, but injuries and other stuff happened and it didn’t turn out that way.” Instead, the Mets sold at the Aug.3 trade deadline — although they couldn’t find a taker for the high-priced and injury-prone Robert. His prolonged absence, coupled with a lack of production, helped lead to Ewing’s emergence in center, which the Mets hope will serve as a silver lining as they look to the future. “I wanted to be able to return from my injury sooner and then when I didn’t get traded [at the deadline],” Robert said, “I wanted to contribute as much as possible and stay healthy.’’ The Mets, thoug...