The Chicago White Sox lost Luis Robert Jr. in their win on Tuesday night. He didn't end up playing in Wednesday's afternoon rubber match against the Cleveland Guardians either but they found a way to win that game as well.
Robert Jr. has been an MVP-caliber game so far this year. He has been one of the best players in the American League which has been so fun to watch. He does it with his bat and with his glove at a premier position (centerfield).
So far this year, Robert has a slash line of .273/.328/.557 for an OPS of .886. He has 13 home runs with 29 RBIs and 34 runs scored. Between all of that and his elite play in the field, he has accumulated a 2.9 WAR.
He could have one of the higher WARs in the game when the season is over if this keeps up. Obviously, that is the type of player that you always want to have healthy in your lineup. It is never easy to win when guys like that are out.
The Chicago White Sox need Luis Robert Jr. very healthy in 2023.
Robert has dealt with hip injuries before in his career and the reason he left that Tuesday night game was because of hip soreness.
Luis Robert Jr.’s issue is the rectus femoris, one of the four quadriceps muscles. Grifol on Robert: pic.twitter.com/3wPAvMHDvZ
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) May 24, 2023
He claims that he is going to play on Thursday which is the best news that White Sox fans can hear right now. It never seemed as serious as some of his previous injuries have been but it is hard to be optimistic at this point. Pedro Grifol made it easier to believe he'd be okay as well.
Now, after hearing that he believes he will play, we can breathe a little bit. This is a huge series in Detroit as the Tigers are a team that the White Sox are trying to jump and they are so close now after their recent hot play.