The Chicago White Sox have been without Luis Robert’s explosive bat and game-changing defense since early May.
The center fielder is scheduled to return Monday for the series opener against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, manager Tony La Russa announced Sunday.
“Guys are fired up,” La Russa said before Sunday’s City Series game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. “We’re all fired up.”
Robert suffered a complete tear of his right hip flexor in a May 2 game against the Cleveland Indians at Guaranteed Rate Field when he raced to first for an infield hit. He fell after crossing the bag and had to be helped off the field.
Robert, 24, makes a big impact offensively and defensively. He is slashing .316/.359/.463 with nine doubles, one triple, one home run and eight RBIs in 25 games. He finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 and won the AL Gold Glove Award for center fielders.
“You want to respect all the guys that played in his place,” La Russa said, “but when everybody reported in spring training, the team you wanted to see had (left fielder Eloy Jiménez) and Robert playing a lot. So having them both at the same time, having (injured catcher Yasmani Grandal) back one of these days, that’s something we look forward to.”
Robert’s return comes two weeks after Jiménez made his regular-season debut July 26 in Kansas City.
“I’m proud of them for all the work they’ve been doing,” Sox first baseman José Abreu said through an interpreter Friday. “Eloy, for months, he did a very good job with the help of the trainers. That’s something we all need to recognize and respect. Luis, probably less time but still he’s done a very good job, he’s getting better.
“We have to recognize their commitment to work hard and to be here as soon as possible. That speaks volumes to their commitment to the team and their commitment to us.”
Robert slashed .268/.388/.390 with one home run and six RBIs in 12 games between Class A Winston-Salem and Triple-A Charlotte during his rehab assignment.
“He’s one of the best players we have,” Jiménez said before Sunday’s game. “I always enjoy playing with him. He always motivates the team, too, because he’s funny and he plays hard.”
Jiménez has been keeping close tabs on Robert’s progress.
“I pretty much talk to him every day to see how he feels,” Jiménez said. “To see how he feels when he plays, running. I always keep him in eye because he’s my brother. Sometimes you need someone to talk to. I’m always that guy to talk to him. It’s going to be fun when he comes back.”
The original projections had Robert sidelined for three to four months. He was medically cleared June 29 to increase his level of baseball activities
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and began a rehab assignment with Winston-Salem on July 21.La Russa plans to have Robert in Monday’s lineup and will continue to monitor him.
“No matter how much you work out, how much you’re in rehab, when you’re actually playing in the major leagues, there’s a stress level there and a determination to dig a little deeper,” La Russa said. “So we want to be really careful that we don’t have a setback like we had with Eloy when he first got up and had to miss a couple of days (with right groin tightness). Communication and go day to day.”
La Russa is also optimistic about how Grandal continues to recover from a torn tendon in his left knee suffered July 5 in Minnesota.
“He’s making a lot of progress, and knock on wood, he’ll get back sooner than we thought when he first got hurt,” La Russa said.
With the positive injury reports, Abreu is looking forward to the potential boost offensively.
“That will be a big plus for us because we all know the quality of player they are,” Abreu said. “This has been a really tough season for us as a team, especially in the offensive part. Having everybody healthy and playing the same time should be a plus for us, something that should carry us to the finish line.”
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