White Sox prospect having a solid start to his stint in Double-A despite the team’s current struggles. Another prospect is also close to returning.
Chicago White Sox outfield prospect Luis Robert hasn’t appeared in a full season of professional baseball since he was signed out of Cuba in 2017. Injuries have stalled his progression through the White Sox farm system but that might be behind him now.
Although Robert did miss time earlier this season with a minor injury, he’s putting together the type of year that many Sox fans have been waiting for. After crushing High-A pitching with the Winston-Salem Dash to begin this season, Robert faced a stiff challenge when he was promoted to Double-A.
Robert went hitless in his first three games with the Birmingham Barons and was hitting as low as .233 on May 9. However, he’s had at least one hit in each of the five games since his 0-for-4 effort on May 9 and is starting to resemble a top prospect. In the Barons 6-4 comeback win over the Mississippi Braves on Thursday night, Robert went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run.
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So far through 13 games, Robert has a .300/.375/.580 slash line with two home runs, six doubles, eight RBIs and a .955 OPS. Robert is facing more difficult pitching in Double-A where there are many other top prospects who are also looking to make the leap to MLB.
If Robert can have success in Double-A, he can surely end this season in Triple-A.
Another prospect that is showing improvement is Eloy Jimenez. But his improvement is in relation to his current rehab stint with Triple-A Charlotte. Jimenez went on the injured list after spraining his right ankle when attempting to rob a home run in left field on April 26. He began a rehab assignment on Tuesday with the Knights and has recorded at least one hit in each of the three games he’s appeared in.
In the Knights 3-2 10-inning win over the Rochester Red Wings on Thursday, Jimenez went 2-for-5 with two strikeouts at the plate. Jimenez could likely return to the Sox this weekend or at the start of their next road trip which begins Monday in Houston. For Jimenez, he will need to remain healthy as he is a big part of the Sox offense moving forward.
Nick Madrigal has gotten back to being the player he was when the Sox drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft. After seeing his batting average drop to .250, Madrigal collected two hits at the plate in Winston-Salem’s 6-0 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Thursday.
Madrigal struggled just a bit over his past six games as he went hitless in four consecutive games. Sox fans shouldn’t worry though as his development is more than what his batting average shows.
Click links for box scores:
Charlotte Knights 3-Rochester Red Wings 2 F/10
Birmingham Barons 6-Mississippi Braves 4