The White Sox positioned heart fielder Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day injured checklist over the weekend, and whereas the group didn’t present a timetable for his return, Robert himself informed the Sox beat that he’s been recognized with a Grade 2 hip flexor pressure. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Solar-Occasions reviews that the Sox are at the moment anticipating an absence of six to eight weeks for the star outfielder. Some within the group are extra involved and assume Robert may miss three-plus months, USA At present’s Bob Nightengale writes.
Robert exited Friday’s recreation towards the Royals after he injured himself rounding first base on a double into the left discipline nook (video hyperlink). A precise timetable absolutely depends upon how he progresses by the early phases of his rehab course of. Robert endured a pressure on this identical proper hip flexor again in 2021 as effectively, although that was a Grade 3 pressure — extra extreme than his present harm. He wound up lacking practically three and a half months with that harm.
Robert, 26, made his first All-Star group and nabbed some down-ballot MVP votes in 2023 after he hit .264/.315/.542 with 38 dwelling runs and 20 steals in 145 video games. He was out to a slower begin to the 2024 season, batting .214/.241/.500 with a pair of massive flies and an uncharacteristic 38% strikeout charge — albeit in a tiny pattern of 39 plate appearances.
The Sox weren’t ever anticipated to compete this season, however a minimal month-and-a-half absence — and doubtlessly a superb bit longer on the shelf — for his or her finest participant is a important blow to a largely torn-down roster. With Robert out for the foreseeable future, the Sox will seemingly flip to offseason commerce acquisition Dominic Fletcher in heart. He’s already began two video games there since Robert first sustained his harm. Listed at simply 5’6″, Fletcher is undersized relative to different massive leaguers however nonetheless touted as a plus defender in any respect three outfield spots. Veterans Andrew Benintendi and Robbie Grossman are lined up for frequent nook work now, though the group absolutely hopes 25-year-old Oscar Colas can get again on monitor in Triple-A and reenter the correct discipline combine after a dismal 2023 season.
There was some hypothesis relating to a possible commerce of Robert over the winter, because the Sox are as soon as once more in a rebuilding mode — beneath new entrance workplace management for the primary time in 20 years. However normal supervisor Chris Getz by no means appeared all that more likely to commerce Robert, who is likely one of the recreation’s most dynamic skills and is signed to a club-friendly contract. Robert is being paid $12.5MM this season and $15MM subsequent yr. The Sox maintain a pair of membership choices for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, each valued at $20MM with a $2MM buyout. In different phrases, he’s assured $29.5MM over the subsequent two seasons however could possibly be managed all over 2027 for a complete of $67.5MM.
It’s an eminently cheap value, although the mounting harm historical past for Robert is actually a priority. He’s solely reached 100 video games in an enormous league season as soon as (final yr) and appears unlikely to get there in 2024 following this harm. Critics would possibly argue that his commerce worth was at his peak this offseason, coming off a season of MVP-caliber manufacturing in a career-high 595 plate appearances. It’s overwhelmingly uncommon to see a longtime expertise with this a lot group management traded, nevertheless, and Getz would’ve been effectively inside his proper to carry out for a return that rivals any of the biggest commerce packages we’ve seen in latest reminiscence.
On the plus aspect for the Sox, Robert is so proficient and nonetheless signed for therefore lengthy that even when he misses a number of months, his commerce worth ought to stay appreciable. And, in fact, the group doesn’t must commerce him this summer time and even subsequent offseason or on the 2025 commerce deadline. Relying on how the group’s present rebuild progresses (or fails to take action), Robert may conceivably nonetheless be a part of a contending White Sox membership in just a few years’ time. And if issues do stall out longer than the group at the moment hopes, he’d command a haul even when he had been being marketed with “solely” two years or one and a half years of membership management remaining.
For now, the main target shall be squarely on getting Robert again onto the sector — although it appears a late-Could return is a best-case state of affairs. Nightengale suggests the Sox will not less than be open to the concept of outdoor acquisitions and lists free agent Tommy Pham as a possible match.
