For weeks, Mets fans heard almost nothing about their newly acquired outfielder, Luis Robert Jr's injury. The center fielder has been out since late April with a lumbar spine disc herniation.

That changed on Thursday, June 11, before the Mets played the Cardinals at Citi Field. Robert finally gave an update. And though he couldn't give a firm return date, he offered a positive update.

“We're continuing the plan of the trainers, continue to try to strengthen the back there,” Robert said through the translator.

“As of right now we're just following that plan. But I don't feel any real pain”.

Robert also spotted playing catch on the field before Wednesday’s game. It was his first active baseball activity since going down. He is moving around much more comfortably and will transition to running on the field by the end of the week.

"I've been able to do a little bit of everything, just slowly," Robert said.

"I think by the end of the week if everything progresses well, I'll be able to start running out on the field. I expect to come back. Honestly, in the beginning, when I first got hurt, I didn't think it would take so long. But obviously, it's a new injury, and as the days went on, it started getting worse".

Before the injury, Robert was hitting .224/.327/.329 with two home runs and two stolen bases in 24 games.

Mets Fans React with Mixed Emotions to Robert’s Update

Luis Robert Jr.’s update gave Mets fans some hope. Before that, Mendoza said there had been no development in Robert's recovery.

So one fan said, "That is huge progress, especially if, like he says in the next post, he's going to be running by the end of the week, possibly. Seriously thought this dude was lost for the year."

Still, many fans didn't welcome the news with open hearts. "lol lol lol lol lol lol lol suuuure. July headline ‘Luis Robert out 6-8 weeks after being hit with a blade of grass’ lol lol," said one fan.

One fan even added, "Even if we got nothing of value back for him, the guy is always injured and having to rely on your 'franchise player' being able to play 35% of the games every year is annoying as f***. He might be Jack’s long-lost brother from another mother."

Robert has struggled with injuries throughout his career. Outside of his 2023 season with the White Sox, where he played 145 games and hit 38 home runs, Robert has reached 100 games just twice in his career.

That's why one fan said, "LMAO yeah, alright buddy. See you in free agency this offseason." Meanwhile, another added, "He lost his job to AJ Ewing. Plain and simple."

While Robert played a .224/.327/.329 slash line with a .656 OPS before his injury, 21-year-old Ewing has a .264/.346/.341 slash line.

Ewing also added an elite defense in the lineup with +3 OAA and 90 arm strength compared to Robert's -1 OAA and 85.5 arm strength.

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Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi