{"id":160277,"date":"2026-02-18T20:38:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T20:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/160277\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T20:38:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T20:38:06","slug":"ny-mets-luis-robert-jr-sets-record-straight-on-missing-spring-training-games-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/160277\/","title":{"rendered":"NY Mets&#8217; Luis Robert Jr. sets record straight on missing spring training games in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s better to be safe than sorry. That appears to be the <a href=\"https:\/\/bolavip.com\/en\/topic\/new-york-mets\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"New York Mets\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Mets<\/a>\u2018 mindset behind their latest lineup decision ahead of the 2026 MLB season. Luis Robert Jr. will be eased into his new role as the team\u2019s center fielder, with the club confirming that he will miss the early games of the <a href=\"https:\/\/bolavip.com\/en\/mlb\/new-york-mets-spring-training-schedule\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Mets\u2019 spring training schedule\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Mets\u2019 spring training schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bolavip.com\/en\/topic\/luis-robert\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Robert Jr.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Robert Jr.<\/a>\u2014whose availability in recent <a href=\"https:\/\/bolavip.com\/en\/mlb\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"MLB\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MLB<\/a> seasons has been hampered by injuries and setbacks\u2014is not injured at the moment. Still, the Mets know the risk-reward balance is not in their favor. As a result, sidelining the 28-year-old outfielder early in the year appears to be the safest\u2014and smartest\u2014decision.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing the news on his availability, Robert Jr. took to the podium at Port St. Lucie, Florida, and provided a clear update on where he stands and his thoughts on the organization\u2019s call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s their plan,\u201d Robert admitted, via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"MLB.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MLB.com<\/a>. \u201cI know that that\u2019s the type of process they have, and I trust in them and whatever they have, because they want what\u2019s best for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"i-amphtml-intrinsic-sizer\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyBoZWlnaHQ9IjEwODAiIHdpZHRoPSIxOTIwIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIvPg==\"\/> Manager Carlos Mendoza of the New York Mets speaks to media. Robert Jr.\u2019s contract <\/p>\n<p>After trading for Robert Jr.\u2014giving up infielder Luisangel Acu\u00f1a and prospect Truman Pauley\u2014the Mets acquired a key piece to bolster the garden at Citi Field. Signed to a six-year, $50 million contract, the Cuban outfielder\u2019s stay in Queens could last one or two seasons. <\/p>\n<p>Why? Because Robert\u2019s contract includes a $20 million club option ahead of the 2027 MLB season. The Mets will make that decision based on Robert Jr.\u2019s performance in 2026, so him being available to play day in and day out will be crucial. For him, the upcoming campaign will virtually be a contract year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s better to be safe than sorry. That appears to be the New York Mets\u2018 mindset behind their&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160278,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[76043,12193,171,173,172],"class_list":{"0":"post-160277","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-port-st-lucie","8":"tag-luis-robert","9":"tag-new-york-mets","10":"tag-port-st-lucie","11":"tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","12":"tag-port-st-lucie-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}