The White Sox took one step closer to a fully healthy lineup. At the same time, they took another step back.
This afternoon, the White Sox announced that Yasmani Grandal has been activated from the injured list following his knee and back injuries. In a corresponding move, the team announced that Luis Robert will be heading to the 10-Day IL as he continues to deal with lightheadedness and blurred vision.
Grandal will hit fifth in today’s lineup and will play behind the plate.
As the White Sox have just a 93 wRC+ against RHP this season, Yaz’s left-handed bat will be a welcome sight to the lineup. He struggled in the first part of the season, hitting just .185/.294/.237 with a 59 wRC+ on the season. However, in his rehab stints with AA and AAA, Grandal hit .360/.579/.600 in 38 plate appearances. He did hit two home runs as well, so hopefully, his knee is allowing him to add some power back to the White Sox lineup. It’s an encouraging sign to see him back and catching on day one.
As for Robert, he first looked off back in Minnesota when he appeared to have trouble tracking a few fly balls. It’s not clear what Robert’s diagnosis is, and at the same time, it’s not clear just how long it will take for things to stabilize for Robert. As he is hitting .301/.334/.461 with a 126 wRC+ and 2.2 fWAR, Robert’s been a valuable piece in the lineup for the South Siders. They will turn to Adam Engel for the time being to help fill the hole defensively in CF while making up as much as he can offensively. Robert will be eligible to come off the IL for the Oakland series next weekend, which is when the team hopes he will be ready to go.
On a separate note, Aaron Bummer is targeting a September return for his rehab.
One step forward, one step back once again. The attention turns to the next four games against Cleveland at this point, however.
Follow us @SoxOn35th for more updates throughout the season!
Featured Image: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Health issues continue for this team. There hasn’t been a time all season when the White Sox weren’t missing at least a couple of regular position players, a starting pitcher and at least one key bullpen arm. For all the offseason training and supposed elite health care available to these modern players they just can’t stay off of the IL. I’ve been an MLB fan since the early 1960’s and can’t ever recall so many injuries affecting the entire sport, especially since the incorporation of advanced analytics into the game.