Mets: Next steps for Luis Robert Jr. include minor league games before official spring debut

The New York Mets are playing the “wait and see” game with their shiny new toy. We all knew what the deal was when David Stearns pulled the trigger to bring Luis Robert Jr. to Queens. You’re trading for a Ferrari with a check engine light that never quite stays off. Sending Luisangel Acuña and Truman Pauley to the South Side wasn’t a king’s ransom, but it wasn’t pocket change either.

It was a bet on pure, unadulterated ceiling. Now, as the Grapefruit League schedule hums along without him, that bet is getting its first real stress test.

The real test starts on March 4

Robert has been a ghost in Port St. Lucie so far. While other guys are shaking off the winter rust in front of actual crowds, Robert is stuck in the backfield shadows. It’s the smart play, sure. You don’t pay $20 million for a guy to blow out a hamstring in February against a Triple-A invitee. But the caution level here is bordering on surgical. Manager Carlos Mendoza finally broke the silence on Saturday, circling March 4 as the date Robert actually puts on a uniform for minor league games.

“March 4, he’s going to play minor league games,” Mendoza told SNY. He noted that Robert has already racked up about 50 live at-bats, which is fine for the swing, but tells us nothing about the legs.

The Mets are terrified of the basepaths. They’re terrified of the turf. Given Robert’s 2025 season—a year where he limped to a dismal 84 wRC+ and ended things early with a Grade 2 hamstring strain—you can’t exactly blame them for acting like they’re handling a Ming vase.

The numbers tell a story of a player who is simultaneously elite and broken. Last year, Robert still managed to swipe 33 bags despite the world falling down around him in Chicago. He’s got that rare 30-30 potential that makes scouts drool and GMs lose sleep. Statcast still loves the guy, too.

The raw talent is still there

His bat speed averaged over 75 mph last season, putting him in the top tier of the league even when the results weren’t there. He’s a difference-maker when he’s upright. The problem is that “when” has become the biggest word in Flushing.

Chelsea Janes over at SNY says the live BP sessions have been a legit show. The ball sounds different coming off his bat. That’s the siren song that lured the Mets into this trade in the first place. They see the Gold Glove defense and the raw power and they convince themselves they can be the ones to finally keep him on the grass. It’s classic “I can fix him” energy. Whether it works or results in another mid-summer IL stint is the only question that matters for this 2026 roster.

This minor league ramp-up is the ultimate litmus test. We’ve seen the highlights of him mashing in the cages, but that doesn’t win pennants. Robert needs to prove his body can handle the torque of a real game. The talent is undeniable, and the bounce-back appeal is among the highest in baseball. If he’s right, the Mets just stole an All-Star. If those soft-tissue demons return, March 4 will just be the first page of a very familiar, very frustrating book.