The Cuban outfielder Luis Robert Jr. returned to the injured list this Sunday, when the Baltimore Orioles placed him on the 10-day injured list due to discomfort in his left hamstring, just a week after joining the team, according to MLB.
The move was retroactive to Saturday, as the 29-year-old player had not appeared in a game since Friday. Baltimore had claimed him off waivers from the Mets on August 31, making his time with the team one of the briefest and most tumultuous of the season.
In the three games he played with the Orioles, Robert had two hits in 11 at-bats for an average of .182, with one double, one home run, and three RBIs.
This is the second time in the 2026 season that the Cuban player has been placed on the injured list.
The first injury occurred between April 27 and July 20, when a lumbar disk herniation kept him out of the field for nearly three months with the Mets.
The affected area now—his left hamstring tendon—is the same one that sidelined him in August 2025 when he was playing for the Chicago White Sox and suffered a grade two injury in that area, raising further doubts about his durability.
The moment could not be more delicate from a contractual standpoint.
Baltimore has a team option of 20 million dollars for 2027, with a buyout clause of two million. If Robert does not return by September 27 —the last day of the regular season— he may not wear the Orioles uniform again.
The team's situation doesn't help either: Baltimore arrived this Sunday with a record of 69-74 and a streak of five consecutive losses, significantly diminishing their postseason chances.
As a corresponding move, the Orioles recalled right-handed pitcher Anthony Nunez from Triple-A Norfolk. On the same day, the team also added outfielder Rece Hinds from the same affiliate and designated pitcher Albert Suárez for assignment.
Hinds, 26, could take Robert's place in left field against left-handed pitchers. In 19 games with Triple-A Norfolk this season, the outfielder batted .268 with six doubles, two home runs, 14 RBIs, and an OPS of .810.
"It has been quite crazy," Hinds acknowledged. "I wasn't playing as much with the Marlins. Coming here and being able to play every day in Norfolk was good for getting back into the rhythm."
The career of Robert Jr. with the Mets before the waivers had shown glimpses of his best self — he batted .267 with six home runs and 11 RBIs in August — but the new setback raises questions about whether Baltimore will decide to exercise the option for 2027 or prefer to pay the two million buyout.
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