Mets fans have spent weeks claiming their team is cursed. Most people laughed it off, but a new injury might prove them right. After Francisco Lindor and Jorge Polanco, another $20 million star has joined the list.

“Hearing Luis Robert Jr. is likely headed to the IL today, per a person familiar with his situation. Joins Lindor and Polanco on a growing list,” reported MLB Insider Chelsea Janes.

The Mets placed Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day IL on Thursday after an MRI confirmed a lumbar spine disc herniation. The injury happened during a defensive play against the Cardinals on April 26.

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Robert Jr. made a leaping catch at the wall but landed awkwardly on the warning track. He walked off the field by himself, but the pain worsened overnight.

He missed three straight games after that before getting the news. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the team will reassess him in 10 days, as he recovers with an epidural injection. However, a disc injury usually takes 2 to 8 weeks to heal. This means Robert will likely miss at least a month.

Even before the injury, the Robert Jr. experiment was not working.

Despite the talent, the production was not there. He is currently hitting a dismal .224 with a .280 on-base percentage. More concerning is his swing-and-miss rate. Robert Jr. has struck out 34 times in just 98 at-bats. His power has vanished, too, with only two home runs since the opening week.

Following the injury, the Mets recalled Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse to fill the spot. Wagaman has a .250 average in MLB and covers both corner infield and outfield positions, allowing the Mets some flexibility.

The team also designated Carl Edwards Jr. and promoted right-hander Austin Warren to support a hurting bullpen.

The problem is not the player’s injury. But this comes during a stretch where the Mets already hold a 10-20 record and sit last in the MLB standings.

What makes things worse is that Francisco Lindor is already out with a calf strain and will only return in late May or early June. Jorge Polanco is also on the IL with wrist and heel issues.

With the Mets having scored only 102 runs and ranking second-lowest across MLB, losing another starter is not good news.

But David Stearns knew it was a gamble trading for Robert. They knew that they were getting a great talent, but his durability and consistency were always in question.

While 2023 was a breakout season for Robert Jr., his first American League Silver Slugger Award, his performance started to drop from 2024 (BA: .264 in 2023, but .224 in 2024, and .223 in 2025). Since 2023, he has only played 66.1% of the possible games.

And looking at how this season has gone, the gamble has not paid off.

After the 2025 collapse, Stearns and the Mets refused to give out any big contracts. They let Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walk; they refused to go after players like Cody Bellinger, who wanted long-term contracts. They even traded away Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien, and even that deal is not looking good for the Mets.

All this is leading fans to question David Stearns and the Mets front office.

Mets fans want some accountability after the team takes another blow

“Is anyone surprised when a player with a proven history of injury problems goes on the IL? I honestly cannot understand why the Mets and Stearns ever coveted Robert Jr.,” shows the exact frustration of most of the fans.

He sustained a significant right hip flexor tear that caused him to miss 85 games in 2021. In 2022, he missed time with a sprained left wrist, blurred vision, and COVID-19. An MCL sprain, along with finger and calf injuries, in his busiest 2023 season. 2024 had a hip flexor strain, missing two months of action, followed by multiple hamstring strains in 2025. So the fact that he is on the IL is not surprising, but the fact that the Mets made a move for him is.

“And @StevenACohen2 will use this as an excuse while his idiot GM continued to get guys who have major injury histories,” commented another.

This fan isn’t talking only about Luis Robert Jr. but also about Jorge Polanco. Polanco had multiple IL stints in 2024 after suffering knee and hamstring issues. When a front office targets injury-prone players, fans expect them to end up back on the IL.

“Stearns is always looking to find a bargain, so he looks smart. He has been exposed,” is exactly what every fan is thinking right now. Under David Stearns, the Mets have leaned heavily on short-term deals and mid-tier trades. The Mets allowed Pete Alonso to walk in free agency despite his 38 homers in the final season. They also refused to sign free agents like Cody Bellinger because he wanted a 7-year deal, while the Mets are afraid to go past the 5-year mark.

“Stearns obsession w this guy is a perfect example of his failure… anyone who has watched him could tell you the guy is cooked, who gets hurt just breathing,” the fan seemingly pointed out that Stearns depends on analytics more than watching the game.

Luis Robert Jr. has an extensive injury history, with 9 major IL stints in 7 seasons. The Mets still traded for him, betting that talent and analytics would outweigh the durability concerns. While he has shown that he can make a good impact and has 14 homers and 53 RBIs in 110 games in 2025, his durability will always be the first question.

“We replace the fan favorites with guys who s–k,” shows the exact emotion that is running through Queens right now. Luis is currently in a 2-for-19 slump, and his output is about 7% worse than league-average overall, by measure of wRC+.

David Stearns decided that the core of the 2025 team was the reason for the Mets’ collapse in 2025 and decided to move on from them.

He let Alonso leave. Traded Nimmo, Diaz, and McNeil. They brought in Bichette, Semien, Polanco, and Luis Robert Jr., and except for Bichette, none of the others have even come close to the expectations. The contrast between replaced veterans producing elsewhere and the Mets’ struggles has made the overhaul feel like it has not paid off.

David Stearns was supposed to rebuild the Mets to make them different from the 2025 team, yet they look worse. This is exactly why the fans are now pushing for the Mets to boot Stearns before any other move.