Mets' Luis Robert Jr. beginning to ramp up with Opening Day just two weeks away

JUPITER, Fla. — The plan is in place, and the bubble wrap is (slowly) being removed.

Luis Robert Jr. took the biggest step in his ramp up Thursday, playing in a Grapefruit League game for the first time this spring. The Mets outfielder played center for five innings and laced a line drive single in the fourth. It may not seem like much, but Robert’s pervasive injury history, coupled with his considerable potential, meant that when the Mets traded for him, they couldn’t afford to simply sit back and hope for the best.

Thus: The Plan.

“They just explained to me that they wanted me to strengthen parts of my lower body that they thought were a little bit weaker and that eventually, I would progress to the point where I would be able to play in games,” Robert said via interpreter. “I was very excited to be able to go out there and following the process and the program that the team put me on.”

Robert, who’s been playing in minor league games, will likely have his first back-to-back during one of the split-squad games Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza said. They’ll continue to monitor him once the season begins, and Mendoza will try to rest him a little more early on in the hopes of having Robert go the distance. Tyrone Taylor stands to be the primary backup at center, with Carson Benge, Mike Tauchman, Jared Young and MJ Melendez also in the conversation.

 “If we keep this guy healthy, the sky is the limit,” Mendoza said. “We’ve seen it — 2023, when he was healthy, he was one of the best players in the league. The tools a re unbelievable. He’s a guy that can go get it in the outfield. He’s got speed, can steal bases, can hit it as far as anybody in the game as well, so there’s a lot to like. We’ve just got to keep him on the field…We’re going to do everything in our power to have him available to us for seven, eight months.

In that All-Star 2023 season, Robert slashed .264/.315/.542 in 145 games, with 38 homers and 20 stolen bases despite battling injuries to his hamstring, hip, calf, finger, quad and knee. Various lower-body injuries meant he played just 100 games in 2024 and 110 in 2025, batting .224 and .223 those seasons with 14 homers apiece. He suffered three hamstring strains in 2025 alone, the third one costing him the final month-plus of the year.

Despite the limited playing time, he created seven outs above average last year, and four in just the month of August, when he presumably was at full health. He also stole 33 bases and was in the 90th percentile for sprint speed.

“Those numbers that I was able to put up (in 2023), I think I can put up that type of year again or even better,” Robert said.

Robert was “on board from the beginning,” Mendoza said, and now it’s a matter of building up his innings. He also expects him to benefit from the players around him — a step up from a White Sox team that lost 223 games the last two seasons.

“He doesn’t have to be the guy,” Mendoza said. “He can just go out there and play and contribute and I think that’s probably going to have a little bit of a positive impact on him.”

Manaea's velocity still down

Sean Manaea struggled in his second Grapefruit League start Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Much like his first start, the lefty’s velocity was down considerably, his fastball averaging 89 mph — nearly 2 mph slower than last year. He and Mendoza insist it’s not a concern.

“It is what it is,” Manaea said. “I feel healthy, I feel good . . . I think I just (need) more reps.”

Mendoza doesn’t believe the lowered velocity is a result of the loose bodies discovered in Manaea’s elbow last year; he did not get them removed in the offseason.

“I know (the velocity) is going to be a topic here (but) I’m not concerned about it as long as he keeps telling us he’s healthy,” Mendoza said. “He might take a few weeks. He might take a month. Who knows?”

Holmes leaving WBC

Clay Holmes has pulled out of the World Baseball Classic and will piggyback off Kodai Senga’s start Friday. Holmes, who pitched scoreless innings for Team USA, needs to keep his pitch count up to 60-65 pitches — not a guarantee with the WBC entering its elimination rounds, Mendoza said. “It’s always tough” to leave, Mendoza said. “They want to represent their country. Especially once you get there, you get the whole experience, the atmosphere, how intense it is. But it’s also (about) being responsible and understanding that he’s got to prepare for the season.” . . . Francisco Lindor, recovering from hamate surgery, is playing in minor-league games and hit in the cage Tuesday; he’s still on track for Opening Day.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.