The White Sox announced this afternoon that they had released outfielders Louis Robert On the list of 10-day injuries, left hamstring strains. The move dates back to June 26. Chicago will take the appropriate roster ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers, but there are only 25 players against the Giants this afternoon.
The fact that Robert needs il is not surprising, as he missed the club’s last three games, but (as Chicago’s Sun Age Vinnie Duber pointed out) the timing of this move is a bit unusual. Robert, who participated in light baseball before today’s game against the Giants, is expected to conduct further assessments on Monday to determine if IL is necessary. Robert’s pre-match event today might make it clear to Sox that the travel to the shelf is needed. It is also worth noting that IL can go back up to three days, so any time you wait after today can effectively extend the shortest time in Chicago without an outfielder.
The White Sox certainly hope this will be the minimum or close to it. The possibility of Robert’s trade has been a major topic for the rumor factory for years, with clubs refusing to trade in various other aspects throughout the reconstruction process as they fear sales at low sales and often injured stars, whose value is now at the lowest point ever.
In 73 games this year, Robert has only reached .185/.270/.313 in 73 games. When he swept 23 bases and walked with a career-high 10.2% clip, he spent more than 30% of his time and the worst power of his career. Even his once streamlined midfield defense is not as capable as in previous years. While his +3 over-average is certainly a solid number, it’s a far cry from the crying sounds released by +13 OAA Robert in 2023.
Between Robert’s offensive decline and his high salary, the White Sox will have a hard time finding a receiver on an outfielder this summer. Perhaps that’s why Sox reportedly is willing to include cash with Robert in order to facilitate the deal. Robert should expire about 7.5mm for the rest of the season, but if the White Sox is willing to pay a lot of fees, they can trade more easily.
After all, even in the case of recent injuries and ineffectiveness, Robert’s offensive potential remains huge, even if he doesn’t reach the ceiling, adding a speed to a defensive midfielder, the roster’s speed could be valuable for teams like the Guardians or Braves who are struggling to find output in the midfield this year. Robert also hit a strong .268/.406/.464 with the left-handed pitch this year, so like the Rangers or Giants, teams fighting Southpaws may also be interested in bringing him into the fold.
Of course, all of this will depend on Robert returning in a relatively short time and having enough time to prove himself fairly healthy and effective by the trade deadline. Even mild hamstring strains can usually take at least a few weeks of recovery, and if Robert isn’t ready to return from the All-Star game, it could put the club in a certain way as they try to provide capabilities to the former All-Stars. At the same time, they will continue to turn Michael A. Taylor Cover the midfield while Robert recovers.
