As Luis Robert Jr. sat in the White Sox’ dugout on Wednesday, the center fielder was honest about his shock to still be wearing a Sox uniform.
“Honestly, no,” Robert said of if he expected to be back. “I know there were a lot of rumors around there and I didn’t think I would be here. But I’m glad that I’m here.”
It’s been a bumpy tenure for Robert over his five seasons on the South Side. His highs are exhilarating — a Silver Slugger winner in 2023 and Gold Glove winner in 2020. But his lows include a high strikeout rate and inability to stay on the field for prolonged periods.
Robert slashed .224/.278/.379 last season. He suffered a Grade 2 right hip flexor strain in April that limited him to 100 games. Despite the rampant speculation, Robert said the noise didn’t affect him much.
“I don’t really pay too much attention to that,” Robert said. “My agent is the one who keeps me posted because I don’t have Twitter. I barely see social media. I just know what he tells me, and that’s it. I don’t really pay too much attention.”
General manager Chris Getz liked what he saw from Robert in spring training, particularly his patience at the plate.
“We’re going to support Luis, and I know that oftentimes he gets asked questions whether he’s going to be traded, but I’ve been really impressed with how he’s been able to remain focused on his craft,” Getz said. “He’s very motivated to get out and get the season rolling for 2025 and show the baseball world what he’s capable of doing.”
Sox expectations
The Sox are looking to start fresh after their record-breaking 41-121 season.
Expectations are understandably low for the Sox, with a 2025 current payroll of $58.6 million, according to Spotrac. But with Getz in his second full season in charge, there are still goals to be attained and steps to take in the rebuilding process. Getz understands that his team isn’t going to have much success on the field — the team enters opening day with a win total of 54.5 at BetMGM, the lowest preseason over/under for a team in the last 35 years. That begs the question: What does success look like for the Sox this season?
“We’ve got high internal expectations that [manager Will Venable] and the staff and myself are going to carry throughout the season,” Getz said. “We’ve got some leaders within this group that are going to support some of our younger players or lesser experienced players.”
Roster moves
• The White Sox claimed infielder/outfielder Greg Jones off waivers from Colorado and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Jones slashed .269/.346/.460 with 16 home runs in 86 games for the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate.
• Reliever Justin Anderson was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Getz said the move was about balancing out the number of righties and lefties in the bullpen
• Outfielder Oscar Colas — once a prized Cuban prospect for the Sox — was designated for assignment.
• Outfielder Mike Tauchman (hamstring) and infielder Josh Rojas (right big toe) will start the season on the injured list. Getz said the two could’ve been ready for opening day, but “there was no sense in pushing it.”