Luis Robert Jr. will start in Sunday’s series finale against Tampa Bay. Instead, it will be Adam Haseley who assumes his role as the team’s centerfielder and lead-off man.
White Sox manager Grifol confirmed pregame that Robert is out of the lineup because of his hamstring tightness, not because of continued punishment for what happened last night. The decision should not come as a surprise given the comments Robert Jr. made about his health last night.
In case you missed it, Robert Jr. was seen jogging down the line on an infield ground ball during the first inning of Saturday’s 12-3 blowout loss. Though it was hard to tell in real-time on the broadcast, replay angles showed Robert Jr. grimace shortly after making his initial strides toward first, leading some to believe that he suffered an injury. However, the coaching staff and majority of fans viewed it as a lack of hustle, and Robert Jr. was greeted with a shower of boos after the play. He would later take the field during the top half of the second before being replaced by Oscar Colas as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the inning.
Grifol said post-game that he believed Robert Jr. had a “mental lapse” and benched him to enforce the expectation that ground balls were to be run out. However, Robert Jr. shared post-game that he was dealing with right hamstring tightness that he told nobody about.
Not only did Robert Jr. fail to know the name of bench coach Charlie Montoyo during his media session, but his decision to hide an injury from the training and coaching staff is flat-out inexcusable. It is not clear how much time the Cuban outfielder will miss, though he may be available to pinch-hit and should benefit from the upcoming off-day ahead of the Minnesota series.
Robert Jr., 25, has been in the midst of a brutal slump that has caused many to question his plate approach and placement at the top of the lineup. In 26 games this season, he’s hitting .215/.250/.411 (23-for-107) with five home runs and 13 RBI. Shrinking it down to his last 15 contests, and that slash line is an abysmal .091/.167/.127 with just five hits. Not great at all for someone who is supposed to be one of the marquee players on a daily basis.
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Robert should be sent down to single A and left there until he can show that he belongs in the big leagues. He is a total embarrassing the entire organization.