Will Venable Explains Why Luis Robert Jr. Returned To Chicago White Sox Lineup

CHICAGO –– The White Sox made a late lineup change ahead of Sunday's Crosstown Series finale against the Chicago Cubs, scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT at Rate Field.

Austin Slater was originally going to be the starting designated hitter in the No. 9 spot, but he has been replaced by Luis Robert Jr., who will bat seventh after missing the previous two games with adductor soreness.

Manager Will Venable explained the pregame swap.

"The initial evaluation, [Robert] came in feeling better but still not in a spot where he could get out there in center field," Venable said. "We wanted to keep him plugged in and give him the opportunity to run around more, and he did. We talked about it, and he really talked his way into the lineup after that. We agreed that maybe center field wasn't the best thing for him, but that we could utilize his bat and that he was good to go to DH. We ended up making the change."

Here's the new lineup.

As the White Sox welcome Robert back to game action, there's a balance to strike between wanting him back in the lineup and being mindful of his recent injury.

"He's going to go out there and compete and play the right way, and if he's not able to do that, we wouldn't have him out there," Venable said. "At the same time, I'm probably not going to ask him to steal third base. That's fair. But he's going to be out on a major league field and running around, not to the degree we're used to, but he'll be out there."

"It's taking all the information and making sure we're doing the right thing to balance pushing him to be out there and supporting him to be out there but also not putting him in harm's way. You take input from the player, you take input from the medical staff, and all together, we make a sound decision."

Prior to the injury, Robert went on a season-high nine game hitting streak, dating back to last series before the All-Star break against Cleveland. During that stretch, he's 12-for-32 (.375) with a double, two home runs, nine RBI, four stolen bases, five walks and six strikeouts.

That raised his batting average to .206, the highest it's been since a .231 mark on March 31 after the fourth game of the season. His OPS has also gone up 53 points during the hit streak and sits at .636, the highest it's been since a .637 mark on May 8. He also has a .983 OPS in his last 37 at-bats.

With the MLB trade deadline approaching on Thursday at 5 p.m. CT, Robert's name has been mentioned in several reports. On Friday, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote that the expectation that Robert will be traded is rising, and mentioned the Phillies and Padres as potential suitors. On Sunday, USA Today MLB columnist Bob Nightengale wrote that the White Sox want New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos in any deal for Robert.