TORONTO — Luis Robert Jr., who the New York Mets placed on waivers Saturday, is an inconsistent and injury-hampered outfielder hitting .228 this season. But he might be a worthwhile acquisition for the Toronto Blue Jays.Robert is the latest late-August waiver casualty from a noncontending team looking to shed a bit of payroll. Eugenio Suárez and TJ Friedl, waived this week by the Cincinnati Reds, both cleared waivers and continued with their club. Robert’s waiver time ends Monday, when we’ll find out if he’s still a Met.When a player is placed on waivers, the other 29 teams have the opportunity to claim them before they clear and are removed from the club’s 40-man roster. The claim priority is decided by reverse winning percentage at the time claims are processed, meaning the Jays are tied for 13th in the queue with the St. Louis Cardinals. Toronto would, however, get priority over other contenders that could use a righty outfielder, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers.Robert is still owed about $4.89 million (including a $2 million offseason buyout) on his 2026 deal. But money, for a Jays team that shed payroll at the trade deadline, is all it would take to acquire him. The Jays have already claimed Paul Sewald off waivers, taking on the roughly $400,000 left on his deal, and signed Michael Lorenzen to a big-league deal. Clearly, there’s still a bit of budget room left for a team that ended Sunday 1.5 games out of the American League’s final playoff spot.Claiming the 29-year-old Robert would require a more significant financial commitment than Sewald. Adding nearly $5 million to the books for a semi-regular outfielder would rarely be considered a shrewd midseason move. But Robert could help solve some of Toronto’s greatest issues.Even near the end of an August in which the Jays went 17-11, the team posted a near-average wRC+ (101 entering Sunday). The offence remains Toronto’s biggest liability, with key bats like Addison Barger done for the year and others struggling into September. In August, Robert owned a 140 wRC+ that would rank second among active Jays players.More specifically, though, the athletic outfielder could help against left-handed pitchers. Facing southpaws, the Jays have the second-lowest team wRC+ and slugging percentage in baseball. They’ve improved some since the trade deadline, but they’re still bottom-10 in both metrics since Aug. 3. Despite a two-month stint on the injured list due to a herniated disc in his back, Robert’s four homers against lefties would rank second on the Jays behind Kazuma Okamoto’s eight. Robert’s .719 OPS would rank third versus lefties among qualified Jays, behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk.With the way current rotations line up, Toronto is expected to face three left-handed starters in its next seven games: the Cleveland Guardians’ Joey Cantillo, the Kansas City Royals’ Daniel Lynch and the Athletics’ Jacob Lopez. The Jays aren’t likely to make costly acquisitions in response to a week of projected opposing starters, but the schedule certainly reinforces the need for a powerful right-handed batter.Throughout his up-and-down career, including a 5.3 WAR season in 2023 and the tough years that followed, Robert has usually hit well against lefties. He has always been a positive contributor in the outfield, playing mostly centre and a bit of left field in 2026. His sprint speed, which ranks in the 90th percentile in 2026, also hasn’t wavered.All that said, the Cuban outfielder is no sure-thing All-Star. He’s been healthy enough to play more than 110 games in just one of his seven MLB seasons. His inconsistency at the plate has continued through 2026, in which he posted a .656 OPS in the first half and then .737 in the second. There’s a reason no major-league club was willing to meet the Mets’ asking price to acquire him at the trade deadline and a reason he was available for a relatively small return last winter.But the Jays don’t need Robert to rediscover his 2023 form. If he somehow does, they can give him more than just a semi-regular role. But Toronto, at the very least, has room for an outfielder who can catch the ball, be a threat on the bases and mash some southpaws. Robert, throughout most of his career, has been capable of that.A successful claim could force the Jays to move on from Daz Cameron, who is out of minor-league options. Cameron has flashed real extra-base power, but he has also struck out in seven of his 24 at-bats with Toronto. He’s currently fulfilling a platoon outfield role similar to the one Robert would occupy for Toronto.The Jays will gain two extra roster spots Tuesday, courtesy of September expansion. After Sunday’s game, manager John Schneider indicated the club was still considering all options.“I wish I could give you a clear-cut answer, but there’s a lot of moving pieces,” Schneider said. “Guys that we’ve seen before, guys that we like. There’s just a lot of moving pieces.”At least one of those pieces is expected to be infielder Josh Smith, who rejoined Toronto on Sunday after a brief rehab assignment. They’ll almost certainly call up a fresh bullpen arm, too. Maybe, though, there are more moves to make. Robert would make sense as one of them.