Gloomy NY Mets injury update on key additions remind us of biggest winter misfire

Ahead of Sunday’s finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks, two key New York Mets injury statuses were updated. Luis Robert Jr. remains out of action and has yet to resume baseball activities. Jorge Polanco remains in a shifting pattern of feeling fine one day and not so good the next.

Robert last played on April 26. Polanco’s last appearance was only 12 days earlier on April 14. The pair of offseason additions meant to fortify two major needs, center field and first base/DH, failed to do a whole lot. Robert went ice cold and landed on the IL with a .656 OPS. Polanco never heated up and was day-to-day after practically the first weekend of the year, homering once and driving in a pair.

It’s no shocker to anyone to see both spend an extended period on the IL. Robert has been injury prone for several years. Polanco’s 138 games last year was his most since 2021. It’s impossible to add to your roster and ignore all injury-plagued players. Collectively, it seems like the Mets took on a lot more and have regularly avoided ironmen under David Stearns.

Injuries every Mets fan saw coming have no end in sight

The Mets have been able to overcome the Robert injury by moving Carson Benge to center field regularly and creating a platoon of sorts with MJ Melendez and Austin Slater. While Melendez has begun to fall back to earth, Slater has done well in his role facing left-handed pitchers. Reality will eventually set in for him, too. In the meantime, Benge’s progression and regular offense out of Melendez and Slater is acceptable even if it still looks uncomfortable seeing them hit third or fourth in every Mets lineup.

The Polanco injury has been the one the Mets have struggled to get over more. Not even related to Pete Alonso, the fact the Mets didn’t get a more consistent, true, or durable first baseman will be an ongoing discussion for the entirety of Polanco’s stay in New York. It was always a strange choice to sign Polanco and turn him into a first baseman. After the first two games of the season, with injuries beginning to hold him back, the Mets only used him as the DH.

Maybe the worst part of these injury updates is how proactive the Mets were at keeping Robert healthy with regular days off. They were cautious with Polanco in their own way, It hasn’t helped him heal up any quicker.

The unknown of either’s return prolongs the team’s need for players like Slater and Andy Ibanez to perform. In the absence of Juan Soto or Bo Bichette carrying the ball club, they’ve been fortunate to get some big outs out of Mark Vientos.

As disappointing of a stretch as each was having before hitting the IL, they are missed. Pitchers aren’t afraid of anyone hitting behind Soto or Bichette and it shows in how much Melendez’s numbers have dropped off. The current Mets lineup is a pair of underperforming stars, a couple of kids who go hot and cold, and a few other guys we’d be happy to see hit .230.

On May 10, with no rehab underway for Polanco and Robert’s baseball activities stagnant, June 1 is optimistic.

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