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Top Trade-Deadline Target Benched, Losing Value During Slump

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Eric W. Bolin | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 9:31 PM ET

Luis Robert Jr., like many Chicago White Sox players from the early 2020s, isn't the same player he once was.

Robert finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting when he burst on the scene in 2020 and made himself a big part of the White Sox 2021 season in which they won 93 games and the AL Central. The Houston Astros beat them in the Division round of the playoffs, but big things expected in Chicago in the coming years.

Instead, things have gone the other direction. The White Sox finished the 2024 with the worst record in a 162-game season in the history of baseball. Robert completed the year as the only position player on the entire roster with a WAR greater than 1.0.

It was a poor season for him individually, but he was just one year removed from one in which he finished with a 5.4 WAR. He had the kind of numbers the White Sox could use as a major trade chip at the 2025 trade deadline.

Except he appears to have befallen the same disappointment as the organization.

White Sox manager Will Venable said he is planning to keep Robert out of the lineup a couple games this week against the Detroit Tigers. The idea is to help him make some adjustments at bat.

"Just to give (him) an opportunity to really dial in some of these adjustments without just feeling the pressure of having to go out there and perform," Venable said.

Robert is slashing just .177/.266/.286 in 55 games this year. He's 1 for 20 with 10 strikeouts in his last seven games. His WAR sits a 0.0, carried by solid defense in the outfield.

But such offensive numbers diminish the value of any potential returns the White Sox could get at the trade deadline. The White Sox carry a club option for his 2026 and potentially 2027 seasons. The 27-year-old would make $20 million a season were the club to pick up those options.

Eleven-year veteran Michael Taylor started in center field for the White Sox on Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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