ST. LOUIS — Two hours before the scheduled first pitch on Wednesday, the New York Mets’ clubhouse is quiet, prepared for a potential rain delay and a long travel day. In the corner, Juan Soto and Luis Robert lean back in their chairs, shooting the breeze in Spanish.

This has become a daily scene in the clubhouse, be it in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in Queens or now in St. Louis. In each spot, Robert’s locker has been situated near Soto’s. At Citi Field, Soto’s locker moved across the room from last year to the opposite corner, in Starling Marte’s old spot, and right next to Robert’s new one. Even on the road this week, Robert’s locker is right next to Soto’s.

It’s by design.

When the Mets acquired Robert from the White Sox on Jan. 20, one of the first people he heard from was Soto, who has spent the months since ensuring that one of the crucial players for the 2026 Mets was as comfortable as possible.

“He’s definitely a player that has the ability to be one of the best in the game,” Soto said, “so why not make him feel comfortable and make him feel happy so he can give his 100 percent?”

Added Robert through interpreter Alan Suriel: “Once the trade became official and Juan reached out to me, I immediately felt he was someone I could rely on and someone who would help me get accustomed to the clubhouse when I arrived.”

Robert’s comfort has proven valuable. Through five games, he’s 5-for-15 with four walks and the most important hit of the young season: an 11th-inning walk-off home run to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. It’s the kind of start that significantly eases the pressure on a player coming to New York, the kind of start that justifies the Mets’ early optimism that Robert could be an X-factor in their success.

“It was my first time going through a trade,” Robert said. “When I first signed with the White Sox, I knew I would have José Abreu and Yoan Moncada because they’re Cubans, so they helped me a lot. When I got traded here, having a player like Juan Soto in this clubhouse receiving me the way he did, I knew that it would help me a lot.”

Soto knows the challenge of that transition, having lived it just last year. In his first two months with the Mets, he had a .770 OPS — good for most anybody, but not for Soto. His OPS was 1.005 the rest of the way.

“It’s really important when you’re coming to a new team to be really welcomed,” Soto said. “I definitely feel like it opens a door for you to feel comfortable in a place. When you’re happy and comfortable in a place, that’s when you’re going to give 100 percent and everything good is going to come out of you.

“Even if you’re not playing your best, the vibe that you bring every day because you feel comfortable in that place is going to be through the roof.”

Since the day both players arrived for spring training, Soto and Robert moved in tandem. During drills, Soto stood by Robert’s side. When it was time to go from one station to the other, Soto and Robert walked together.

“Juan has been tremendous for Luis, honestly,” Mets first-base coach Gilbert Gomez said. “It seems that Juan was trying to make Luis feel as comfortable as possible within those early days of spring.”

Added manager Carlos Mendoza: “Juan is taking that leadership role, especially with those guys that are with him all the time. He’s a guy that’s not going to show the whole world what he’s doing. He likes to do things behind the scenes, and we’ve seen it.”

The relationship between Soto and Robert isn’t new. The two have grown closer since Robert hired Scott Boras as his agent two years ago. Since then, Soto and Robert have worked out together, including last offseason.

“I watched him from afar all these years before and saw how he plays and how he does everything,” Robert said. “Then when you meet him, you see how he does things up close and personal, it’s a really good feeling.”

Soto wanted the two to have neighboring lockers.

“Why not?” he said. “We’ve been working out together, we’ve been hanging out together for a little bit, so why not have a brother next to me?”

The new locker assignments follow an offseason during which their clubhouse dynamics were scrutinized.

Last year, flanking one of the two entrances to the clubhouse, Soto and Francisco Lindor resided near one another. Lindor remains in the same spot, which was once David Wright’s locker. Soto is now on the opposite side of the room.

Typically, a player’s service time plays a big role in what locker he ends up at. The Mets also generally place players in the same position group together. Marcus Semien, the club’s new second baseman, holds Soto’s old spot.

A week into Robert’s tenure with the Mets, his personality and performance are taking center stage because he is comfortable — thanks, in part, to the team’s biggest star.

Soto’s embrace of Robert is yet another sign of his own growing comfort in his second season in Queens.

“With Juan,” Mendoza said, “he knows this is home for him.”

Soto is trying to make it feel that way for others, too.