MILWAUKEE — If Luis Robert Jr. was forgotten by the Mets, they received a reminder Tuesday night of what they missed for 2 ½ months.
The outfielder crushed a 451-foot homer — the longest blast at American Field Family this year — to give the Mets their final run in a 4-0 victory over the Brewers.
Robert was playing only his second game after his removal from the injured list. He had been sidelined since April 27 with lumbar spinal disc herniation.
“[Monday] and today, those first couple of at-bats I was just trying to get into a rhythm,” Robert said through an interpreter.
Robert’s homer was the fifth longest of his career, according to Statcast. It was the longest of his three homers this season. He started in center field, surrounded by rookies A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge.
“It’s a beautiful thing because none of us have to cover that much ground when we’re all out there,” Robert said. “It’s a lot of fun because any of us can get to those balls at any moment.”
Benge needed nearly a month to get his first season on the right track, but he hasn’t looked back since.
The rookie outfielder entered Tuesday with an .809 OPS in July, a continuation of the success he saw over the previous two months. Benge had a .750 OPS in June after posting an .801 mark in May.
Peaks and valleys are common for a rookie, but Benge’s consistency has been refreshing to a team that has received underperformance from several more experienced players. Benge had a .498 OPS on May 2.
“It’s just getting adjusted to the league,” Benge said before going 2-for-5 with two RBIs. “After I kind of figured it out the first time, it kind of helped me realize how to get back on track if I’m not doing too well.”
Benge’s steadiness is hardly a surprise to Andy Green, who oversaw the farm system until becoming the team’s interim manager last month.
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“I think he’s wired as a person to handle the ups and downs that come with the big leagues and not make a mountain out of every molehill, because that mountain just gets bigger if you do,” Green said. “He just shows up and plays baseball and does that well.When you put the ball in play at good angles like he does, you tend to get a lot of hits.”
Clay Holmes is expected to pitch in a minor league rehab game later this week, but Green wasn’t certain on which day or for which affiliate. The right-hander, who is rehabbing from a fibula fracture, threw 45 pitches in a simulated game Saturday.
