White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is a realist. He knows he’s not attractive to other 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,” he said through an interpreter before Tuesday night’s game against the Mariners.
That’s the quandary the Sox and Robert find themselves in. Before Opening Day, Robert said he didn’t expect to still be in Chicago, as his name had been floated in offseason trade rumors. Nearly two months later, he’s resigned to the likelihood he’ll remain here the rest of the season because his hitting has cratered.
He has club options in 2026 and 2027 for $20 million that the Sox are unlikely to pick up. And with just six multihit games and five homers over his first 48 games, he has no known suitors. Entering Tuesday, he was batting .186/.281/.308 with a .589 OPS.
His strikeout rate has decreased from last season — 33.2% to 28.9% — and he has 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 that has translated to success.
He’s chasing less, having seen 47.3% of pitches in the zone, tied for the third-highest percentage of his career. But he’s swinging at 75.5% of them, the second-lowest percentage of his career. Those numbers indicate a hitter unsure of himself at the plate.
Robert thinks his struggles are mental and timing-related.
“When you’re struggling, you think about everything,” he acknowledged. “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 problem is missing hittable pitches. Entering Tuesday, he 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.
He has been effecting games nonetheless by stealing bases and playing solid defense in center field. But while the Sox’ losing in general isn’t getting to him — they were
14-34, the worst record in the American League, entering Tuesday — his struggles at the plate are.
“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 [someone who’s] maybe a little in between at the plate,” Sox manager Will Venable said. “It’s just about making sure [he] 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.”
Given the Sox’ listless offense, they 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.”