Injury Threatens Rest Of Luis Robert Jr.'s Season With Chicago White Sox

CHICAGO –– Luis Robert Jr. was putting together a strong second half, but now his availability for the final five weeks of the 2025 season is uncertain.

The White Sox placed Robert on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a left hamstring strain and recalled outfielder Will Robertson from Triple-A Charlotte.

Prior to the game, White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters that Robert suffered a Grade 2 strain.

"What comes with that is several weeks," Getz said. "We don’t know precisely, at this point of the year, time is not necessarily a friend with players returning. So there is a chance that perhaps he doesn’t make it back by the end of the year. Our focus at this point is addressing the hamstring. It's unfortunate news."

Robert suffered the injury running to first base in the second inning of Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals. The news comes at an unfortunate time, as Robert had been heating up for over a month.

Robert's batting average sat below .200 in each month April through June, and he had a career-low .599 OPS at the All-Star break. Despite outside interest approaching MLB's trade deadline, the White Sox opted to keep Robert for at least the remainder of the 2025 season.

Following that point, Robert's play reflected well on Getz's decision. Since action resumed after the All-Star break on July 18, Robert has slashed .298/.352/.456 with five home runs, 18 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases, good for 1.0 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs.

To hit the injured list in the midst of his best stretch of play this season was tough to handle.

"Luis is very disappointed, as you would expect. Obviously it’s a hit for us because Luis had been playing so well," Getz said. "His resurgence in the second half was documented. He was impacting our team and the reason we have been able to get more wins is because a lot had to do with Luis Robert’s performance on both sides of the ball. The other night he had one of the better center field games I’ve seen from him. To lose him is certainly a hit, but at this point, we will get him healthy and ready for, prepare him to come back here or get ready for next season."

A variety of factors played into Robert's improvement. He had been hitting left-handed pitching well all season, with an .842 OPS, but Getz thought he had taken that to another level of late. With some mechanical adjustments, Getz observed Robert being on time at the plate, making better decisions and getting to pitches he was missing early in the season. With that came an uptick in confidence.

White Sox manager Will Venable mentioned Robert reducing his leg kick put him in a good spot to have more consistent at-bats, see the ball better and make better swing devisions, which led to him hitting the ball hard. The manager also appreciated Robert's energy and enthusiasm.

"I think maybe the thing that's stuck out the most is just how extremely hard he runs every single day, Venable said Monday. "He's just a guy that wants to be out there. When I give him days off, he fights me on it. He wants to be out there competing with these guys. So with his athletic ability and with his desire to be out there and playing hard, he's just put himself in a really good spot to be productive."

Michael A. Taylor will bat ninth and replace Robert in center field for Wednesday's 6:40 p.m. CT game against the Kansas City Royals. Venable also mentioned Brooks Baldwin as a candidate to fill in in center field.

It won't be easy to replace Robert's recent production, but Getz views it as an opportunity for players to make an impression.

"It’s a resilient group. It’s a young, energetic optimistic group on a daily basis," Getz said. "I think everyone in that locker room and coaching staff and around the organization, and fans, are disappointed to not be able to watch Luis Robert tonight. With that being said, there’s still a pathway to win. There’s a pathway to victory and Will does a tremendous job in mapping that out for our players."

The White Sox have an important decision to make this offseason with the 2023 All-Star. Robert has $20 million club options in 2026 and 2027, with a $2 million buyout.

Getz said on July 31 he anticipate Robert being with the White Sox in the future, and on Wednesday he reiterated that sentiment.

"We are committed to Luis," Getz said. "You look back at what he’s done with our team. Even a little bit before the second half began, and he’s done really well against lefties and he’s had glimpses against righties. You look at the defense, the baserunning. He was showing everyone what he’s capable of doing."

"He can be such a boost to this lineup and this team and that’s why we are talking about it today. He's missed. Injuries are part of the game. They have unfortunately been part of his history. I think he’s played in about 110 games this season. And he’s really risen in terms of the impact on this team and the league. And a lot of that quality work happened in this second half window. For what he’s capable of doing, the talent, the impact he can have on this club, we like having Luis Robert here."