PORT ST. LUCIE — When Luis Robert Jr. was traded to the Mets in a late night deal last month, he had so many initial thoughts that he was unable to discern them all. There were nerves, which were to be expected after 10 years of playing only with the Chicago White Sox. There were also thoughts about playing with stars like Juan Soto. There was also the daunting idea of playing in New York City.

“I can’t really explain the proper emotions I had from being with Chicago the last 10 years,” the center fielder said Tuesday at Clover Park, via a translator. “I knew that I was going to be entering a different stage of my career, [but] I can’t really explain what I felt immediately after the trade.”

The 28-year-old Cuban was part of a group of prospects that were supposed to lead the White Sox back to prominence. For a while, the Sox seemed to be on the rise with those prospects. Robert was the runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2020 and won a Gold Glove award, while his teammates took home a ton of hardware as well. José Abreu was named the AL MVP, Eloy Jimenez and Tim Anderson won Silver Slugger awards, and the White Sox reached the postseason for the first time since 2008.

A year later, they helped the team from Chicago’s South Side capture the AL Central title.

Then came the regression. A .500 season in 2022, 101 losses in 2023, and a record-setting 121 of them in 2024. Robert struggled to stay on the field. In 2023, he was named an All-Star for the first time, but was forced to pull out of the game because of calf tightness he suffered during the Home Run Derby.

The Mets will work Robert in slower than other outfielders this spring to try to ensure he stays on the field.

“The tools are there — you need power, the defense [and] the speed when he’s healthy. We saw in 2023 a lot of the things that he can do,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday. “We’ve got to keep them healthy, and we want to be proactive, so he’s going to be on a progression. He won’t be playing any games out of the gate. This is something that, when we traded for him, our trainers put their hands on him and identified some of the things — especially in the lower half — that need to be strengthened up.”

Robert is still going through full workouts with the team and will continue to do so. He just won’t appear in any of the early Grapefruit League games with the Mets. It’s a similar plan to the one the Mets used for Brandon Nimmo in recent seasons.

There have also been questions about Robert’s level of engagement in recent seasons. It’s difficult to stay motivated on a team that is expected to do nothing but lose. Losing creates bad habits and it can breed team toxicity. The White Sox were forced to trade away many of those once-talented prospects, leaving Robert, who signed a six-year, $50 million contract before even appearing in a Major League game, as the player who had to carry the load.

The minimum expectation for the Mets this season is a playoff appearance. It’s a different culture and a change of scenery that might have been necessary for Robert to get back to playing like he once did.

Still, it all starts with his health.

“I think for me, the more games I play, the more opportunity I have [for] success,” Robert said. “For me, the ultimate goal is to be able to stay out on the field, and once I’m able to stay out on the field, I think things are going to turn out the way I want.”

EXTRA BAGS

Brett Baty is also on a slower progression this spring after tweaking his right hamstring while training near his home in Texas. The issue was minor and he’s a full participant in camp, but with Baty set to take on two new positions this season, the Mets don’t want to risk aggravation. Currently, he’s only working out at first base, and will then add in work at second base and third base before getting left field reps. … First baseman Jorge Polanco and catcher Francisco Alvarez are on a similar progressions. The Mets are exercising caution with Polanco’s surgically-repaired left knee, and with the hand injuries Alvarez suffered last season. … Left-hander Brandon Waddell will start Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Miami Marlins. A starter/reliever who split time between Triple-A and the major leagues last season, Waddell is once again expected to provide pitching depth for the Mets in a similar role.