More outfield help is on the way.
The White Sox announced Monday evening that Luis Robert has been medically cleared to begin his rehab assignment with High-A Winston-Salem on Wednesday. The positive development comes after the centerfielder participated in live batting practice and light outfield work over the past several days at the team’s Arizona facility.
Robert, 23, injured himself back in early May when he stumbled down the first base line while trying to beat out an infield single. At the time, it was clear that something wasn’t right as he started hopping towards the end of his sprint before falling to the ground in pain. The injury turned out to be a Grade 3 right hip flexor strain, a complete tear that has sidelined him ever since.
Luckily, surgery was not necessary and now that the original 12-16 week timeline for rest has reached its end, he will slowly start ramping things up. Like Eloy Jimenez, Robert will have a maximum of 20 days for a minor-league rehab assignment once he arrives at Winston-Salem. If all goes well there, we could be looking at a Major League return by mid-August.
So far in his second season with the Sox, Robert is hitting .316/.359/.463 (30-95) with nine doubles, a triple, home run and eight RBI in 25 games. His sort of presence in the lineup along with his glove in centerfield would be very much welcomed, even though the combination of Brian Goodwin, Billy Hamilton, Adam Engel, and others have held their own during his absence.
Between the returns of Robert and Jimenez added with any trade deadline acquisitions, there’s a very good possibility that we could be looking at a completely different White Sox lineup in three weeks or so. Keep your fingers crossed!
As always, we will update this article as more info becomes available. In the meantime, follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for additional content!
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