Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is one of the last vestiges from the 2021 White Sox, who lost to the Astros in the American League Division Series.
After the 2023 season, his ceiling seemed limitless. He was a five-tool player who slugged 38 home runs en route to a Silver Slugger Award. It has been a struggle for Robert since, and this season has been the lowest point.
In the offseason, general manager Chris Getz traded All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox for prospects. Because of Robert’s struggles last season, his value was low. If Getz had traded Robert at the deadline or in the offseason, he would have been dealing his most prized player at his lowest value — though many, including Robert, expected him to be in a different uniform anyway.
But Robert is still here. How long he remains with the Sox depends on his play, which is off to a miserable start. Entering Friday, Robert was hitting .138 with a .255 on-base percentage and a .238 slugging percentage.
His plate discipline, however, has improved with better swing decisions as he has more than doubled his walk rate from 6.6% to 13.5%. He worked with Mets star Juan Soto in the offseason.
“It’s no secret that one of the reasons why [Soto is] one of the best players in the game is because of his plate discipline,” Robert said before Opening Day. “That’s one of the things I wanted to improve on. That was one of my goals for spring, and that’s one of my goals for the season, too. I think it’s something I can accomplish, and that’s something I really work on.”
But for an offense that is last in runs per game (3.12), batting average (.203), slugging percentage (.310) and hits (163), the organization needs the version of Robert that has game-changing power at the plate. He has only two homers this season. In many ways, his performance mirrors the Sox’ offensive woes.
“He’s just gotta continue to swing at good pitches,” manager Will Venable said. “I think that it’s going to turn for him here and for us offensively. We have to keep going and keep stringing quality at-bats together.”
The complexion of the offense changed with the additions of infielder Chase Meidroth, who’s on the 10-day injured list with right thumb inflammation, and catcher Edgar Quero in back-to-back weeks.
The prospects made immediate impacts. Meidroth has drawn rave reviews for his professional approach at the plate.
“Offensively, our swing decisions have been at the top of the league,” Getz said, “which is a testament to the process that we’ve put in place and the execution of these players.
‘‘Obviously, it hasn’t shown up in the win-loss column. But we know over time that we’re certainly on the right track.”
If the Sox’ offense has any hope of improving, it starts with Robert turning it around.
“We have [been] hitting the ball hard but directly to a defensive player,” Robert said. “It’s just a matter of the results not being there.”