Divvying up the playing time for Luis Robert Jr. and Tyrone Taylor

Plus three others

One of the things that drives me crazy is the Mets’ insistence on acquiring guys who were last good three years ago on another team and then giving them starting gigs. Among the players they’ve tried this with during the Mets360 era are: Eric Young Jr., Chris Young, James Loney, Adrian Gonzalez, Omar Narvaez, Harrison Bader and Marcus Semien. Newsflash: It didn’t work with any of them.

In addition to Semien here in 2026, the Mets tried it with Luis Robert Jr., too. Full disclosure: I was in favor of this move when it was made, banking on Robert’s age to help him bounce back closer to his previous heights, rather than the collection of players on the wrong side of 30 in the opening paragraph.

After posting a 130 OPS+ in 2023, Robert posted an 86 in 2024 and an 85 in 2025. You may not believe it but here in 2026 he currently sits with an 87 OPS+. You almost have to admire such consistency.

The only saving grace is that Robert’s production this year has come in the small sample size of 111 PA. It’s possible to hold out hope that if he had, say, the 338 PA of Semien, he might have better results. Hey, it’s good to have hope, sometimes that’s all you’ve got.

One thing that Robert can point to is that after missing nearly three months, he’s hit 2 HR in 13 PA since his return from the IL. That’s a pace that would make even Kyle Schwarber blush. But that’s not anything remotely to expect going forward. And those are the only two hits Robert has. As a big fan of power, it’s great to see the homers. But no matter who you are, you’ve got to do something positive when you don’t hit the ball over the fence. Schwarber complements his power with a 14.1 BB% and that combo has led to a 144 wRC+.

Robert is offering nothing this year besides the homers.

Juan Soto left yesterday’s game and it’s possible another IL stint is in his future. That may turn out to be a blessing for Robert. The Mets are going to play their rookie outfielders the overwhelming majority of the time. If Soto was also playing, that would seriously curtail the playing time for Robert. Now there might be more opportunities for him to play.

Still, it’s fair to wonder if that playing time should go to Tyrone Taylor, instead.

Since returning from his own IL stint, Taylor is slashing .367/.441/.867 in 34 PA. Why on earth isn’t he playing more when he’s this hot? No, this is nowhere close to Taylor’s true-talent level. But for all things holy, when a player is scorching hot – play him every day until he cools off.

The Mets have played Taylor almost exclusively versus LHP since he was activated from the IL. No doubt having the platoon edge factors into this hot stretch of Taylor’s. It was also the easiest way for him to get playing time, with all three of the club’s preferred outfield starters being LHB. Still, my opinion is that if Taylor was in this big of a groove, he would have successfully performed against RHP, too, even if not to the extent that he did against lefties.

So, Robert or Taylor to get more playing time? In the immediate term, the answer has to be Robert. There’s a non-zero chance that if he hits a few more homers before the trade deadline, he might be someone to flip for a prospect. Now, it’s probably a single-digit chance, but a chance nonetheless. While Robert has that 130 OPS+ season on his resume, Taylor’s highest mark in a season with at least 100 PA is the 108 he posted back in 2021. It’s tougher to dream on Taylor than it is to do the same with Robert.

Still, my preference would be for both of them to get consistent playing time. It’s one of the reasons why I advocated for giving A.J. Ewing some playing time at 2B. Not to make Ewing the full-time starter – rather to give him some games there both to get Semien out of the lineup and to get more playing time for Robert and Taylor.

The Mets have decisions to make on both Robert and Taylor for next season, assuming they’re both here after the trade deadline. Robert has an expensive team option, while Taylor will be a free agent. It’s difficult – but not impossible – to see the Mets picking up Robert’s option. But if he plays and performs, it’s at least a possibility. The Mets could do in 2027 what the White Sox did in 2026 – pick up the option and then trade him.

Meanwhile, Taylor has proven to be a good fourth outfielder but with Nick Morabito having a solid season in Triple-A, it’s possible the Mets will be willing to let Taylor walk and give his playing time to Morabito, instead. Of course, with teams usually employing five outfielders on their 26-man roster, it’s possible that both Taylor and Morabito could be on the ’27 Mets.

Further complicating the picture right now is that the Mets want to give Jorge Polanco playing time, too, and he’s essentially limited to DH at this point. But he’s been unproductive since returning from the IL, sporting a .318 OPS in 32 PA.

It’s wild to think that on a team that’s 43-61 that there are somehow too many guys vying for playing time. It doesn’t help matters when the club insists on playing Semien’s carcass on a full-time basis. Yet until the trade deadline passes, my hierarchy would be Robert-Taylor-Brett Baty-Polanco-Semien.

However, this is how the Mets have allocated playing time with that quintet since Semien was activated from the IL on Jul 17:

20 PA – Semien
13 PA – Robert
11 PA – Baty
10 PA – Polanco
8 PA – Taylor

From my point of view, the Mets have a 40% success rate, with Baty and Polanco getting the correct amount of relative playing time. Perhaps that success rate isn’t surprising, since it matches their .413 winning percentage on the season.