Luis Robert Jr. isn’t the only injured NY Mets player whose job feels taken

Luis Robert Jr. hopes to return to the New York Mets this season. Hope and reality are two different things. We’re also all hoping Juan Soto’s late home run was a turning point for a club that has struggled to get out of its own way.

Speaking before Thursday’s win, Robert talked optimistically about what he wants to achieve. He’s not nearly ready to return or even begin a rehab assignment. In the time he has been absent, there has been a major shift in center field with A.J. Ewing looking like the real deal.

Robert has already been replaced and a return from the IL will complicate things for the Mets. Do they really need him any longer? Ewing’s growth is far more important.

Hardly alone, Robert has company on the trail of being Wally Pipped. Jared Young has been outstanding by not only taking Mark Vientos’ job but now making fans less and less eager to grind through whatever it is Jorge Polanco can provide.

Has Jared Young already taken two Mets jobs?

Young is, should, and will continue to start at first base whenever there’s a righty on the mound. Against a tough lefty, why not give him the opportunity? Vientos hasn’t earned it. The Mets didn’t remove Young for a pinch hitter against a pair of St. Louis Cardinals lefties. Perhaps it’s a first test to see just how he can handle himself against southpaws moving forward.

Polanco, a switch-hitter, isn’t going to go away easily. With a $20 million salary this year and next, the Mets need to figure out what he can offer them. However, with Young this red hot and the DH spot potentially needed for days when maybe they want to get Francisco Alvarez’s bat in the lineup or Soto requires a half-day, the DH spot needs to open up.

Young began the year as a utility man no one was quite sure would find much playing time. First base had multiple candidates. The corner outfield was jammed up, too. A lengthy stint on the IL himself, Young has returned and is now batting .288/.360/.530 on the year. Two big hits in the Mets’ latest win continues to make him this year’s most pleasant surprise.

The Mets have already declared Polanco is most likely to see significant time at DH rather than try to test him out at first base. This pushes Polanco into becoming what exactly?

If Robert and Polanco suddenly returned from the IL today, Polanco would get eased into action while Robert might have to form a platoon with Ewing and Benge. Both can still offer the Mets something, but unless they’re active, they’re a fable we haven’t seen in a very long time.

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