The Chicago White Sox are getting some bad news. The team will have to take the field without Luis Robert Jr. for a while. The outfielder is going to the injured list with a hip flexor strain, per the team.
Robert Jr. is heading to the 10-day injured list due to the strain. A hip flexor is a group of muscles near the top of the thighs that allow the knee to be lifted toward the chest. The team is filling the outfielder's spot with infielder Lenyn Sosa from triple-A Charlotte. The White Sox are already without Eloy Jimenez, who is out with an abductor strain. The loss of Robert Jr. puts a further dent in the team's offense.
Robert Jr. and the White Sox
The White Sox are planning to lean hard this season on their outfielder for offense. Luis Robert Jr. has provided a hot bat for the team, batting in 80 runs last year for Chicago. The outfielder finished the 2023 season with a .264 batting average, to go with 38 home runs. It was a career-high season for Robert Jr., who has spent his entire MLB career with the White Sox.
The outfielder has played in the league since the 2020 season. Robert Jr. has consistently seen more opportunities in the lineup for the White Sox. His at-bats have increased each year he has played in Major League Baseball, with 546 appearances in 2023. He also seen his hit totals increase every year, as well as his runs and runs batted in.
Robert Jr. has had a more sluggish start to this season. In seven games, he has only a .214 batting average. He has hit two home runs, and batted in four runs. He's struck out 11 times this year in 28 at-bats. The White Sox are struggling to score runs with Robert Jr. not his usual self at the plate. The team is 1-6 overall heading into a game on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.
This isn't the first time Robert Jr. has seen this injury. He suffered a hip flexor during the 2021 season, per MLB Rumors. He left the game on Friday against the Royals, presumably due to the issue, after getting a hit and trying to run the bases.
The outfielder is considered part of a core of young players the White Sox need to bring the team back to prominence. The franchise struggled through an abysmal season in 2023, finishing with a 61-101 record. It was one of the worst seasons in franchise history for a historic team that last won the World Series in 2005. Chicago is surely hoping the outfielder won't be out of the lineup for too long.
The White Sox and Royals take the field Saturday at 7:10 Eastern. The Royals are 4-4 on the year.
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