White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is a realist.
He knows that he’s not attractive to teams because he’s scuffling at the plate.
“Right now, as my season is going, I don’t think anybody is going to take a chance on me,” Robert said through an interpreter before Tuesday’s game.
That’s the quandary the Sox and Robert find themselves in. Before Opening Day, Robert said he didn’t expect to be in Chicago as his name was floated in offseason trade rumors. Nearly two months later, he’s resigned to the fact that he’ll likely remain in Chicago because his hitting has cratered. He and the Sox are in a relationship born out of convenience.
Robert is the team’s last chance to acquire prospects, and he has two club options in 2026 and ’27 for $20 million that the team is unlikely to pick up.
But there likely aren’t many suitors for Robert with his hitting reaching its nadir. He has just six multihit games over his first 48 games with five homers.
Entering Tuesday’s game, Robert was batting .186/.281/.308 with a .589 OPS. His strikeout rate has decreased from last season — 33.2% to 28.9% — and he’s nearly doubled his walk rate to a career-high 11.7% this season while hitting the ball at the hardest rate of his career.
But none of the peripheral numbers have translated into tangible success.
Robert is chasing less, but he’s still not getting much production at the plate. He thinks his struggles are both mental and timing-related.
Robert has seen 47.3% of pitches in the zone, tied for the third-highest percentage of his career. But Robert has swung at 75.5% of them, the second lowest of his career. Those numbers indicate a hitter unsure of himself at the plate.
“When you’re struggling, you think about everything,” Robert said. “You overthink stuff. When you’re good, you go to the plate and don’t think about anything. You just go up there and do what you’re supposed to do.”
Part of his struggles is missing hittable pitches. Robert isn’t hitting fastballs like he did previously in his career. Entering play Tuesday, Robert was batting .219 with an expected batting average of .274 on fastballs, according to Baseball Savant.
”There are some days where I’m thinking too much and then I’m missing the pitches right in the heart of the strike zone,” Robert said.
Stealing bases and playing solid defense in center field have allowed Robert to impact the game despite his subpar hitting. The 27-year-old hitter said the struggles are getting to him, zapping him of his confidence at the plate.
“We’ve talked, and as an observer, you see a guy that has one mentality on the bases and in the outfield — an aggressive one — and then maybe a little in between at the plate,” manager Will Venable said. “It’s just about making sure [Robert] felt supported. We’re challenging him to do all the right things that he needs to do to make adjustments to get better. He’s going to find what he needs to find to have more confidence at the plate.”
Robert has experienced a lot of losing, which he insists hasn’t affected his play. But given the Sox’ listless offense, the club can’t afford for Robert’s struggles to continue.
“The team is part of you, in the same way that you are part of the team,” Robert said. “If you are doing good individually, you’re going to help the team. That’s why I don’t think that’s wearing on me.”