The Chicago White Sox have a big lead in the American League Central division. They did it on the back of a great pitching staff and timely hitting. Now, their offense is going to be one step closer to completion.
Eloy Jimenez is already back with the group and contributing. Now, Luis Robert is going to be back on Monday against the Minnesota Twins. White Sox manager Tony La Russa confirmed this to the media before Sunday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs.
This is huge news for the White Sox. They are getting back a five-tool player that will play elite defensive centerfield and be a force with his bat. He was just starting to get hot when he got hurt but it might take a minute to catch up to speed. We saw it with Eloy Jimenez and the same might follow for Robert.
When he joins the group, it will be interesting to see what part of the lineup he is in. He can be inserted pretty much anywhere and play that role very well. He will also offer better protection for other hitters in the lineup that need it. When he is back to his normal self, this group will be so fun to watch.
Now that Robert is coming back, they are really one big piece away from having the group as designed. Yasmani Grandal is about a week behind Robert in terms of his comeback. Once those two join Eloy as the three that were really hurt, the rest of the league is going to feel it.
The Chicago White Sox did a good job dealing with injuries so far in 2021.
Taking out players like Brian Goodwin, Seby Zavala, Gavin Sheets, and Billy Hamilton is tough because of how good they’ve been. All of them have played about as good as they possibly could to earn spots but that’s how deep the White Sox are. They will all make great backups and bench pieces but Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, and Yasmani Grandal will be inserted over pretty much anyone.
What the White Sox have been able to do so far this season with injuries has been admirable. Tony La Russa deserves a lot of credit for that and so do the players. Everyone came together and put their best foot forward. Now with Robert back, things might really start to get fun as the team will be almost 100 percent healthy. There is a lot of work to be done still to make sure everything clicks but it is on the right track.