The White Sox made waves in the offseason when they traded Luis Robert Jr. to the New York Mets in exchange for Luisangel Acuña and Truman Pauley. At the time of the trade, fans were underwhelmed with the return for Robert Jr. However, the White Sox were able to clear up 20 million dollars in cap space, which allowed them to make other moves.
Most people were split on the main piece in the trade, Luisangel Acuña, as he hadn’t had much major league success at the time of the trade. However, Acuña had an amazing Spring Training, as he hit .409 over 16 games. This was exactly what the White Sox wanted to see out of him, as he looked like he would make a contribution for the White Sox in the 2026 season.
However, Acuña did not get off to a great start to the season, as he was hitting .165 at the end of May. He lost his starting position to Tristan Peters and was relegated to a bench role. However, over the last month, he has been significantly better.
Over his last 30 games, Acuña is hitting .250 with one homerun, seven RBIs, and eight stolen bases. This is much more in line with what the White Sox wanted to see out of Acuña, as he has shown he could be a solid piece on a major league team.
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Acuña has been even better over his last 15 games, as he is hitting .324 over those games. This is an encouraging development, as once he gets on base, he is a threat to steal. Currently, Acuña has 14 stolen bases, which is 18th best in the major leagues. Without consistent playing time, this is a very impressive feat.
Luisangel Acuña with his first home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/Lr69eLxC8k
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 21, 2026
With the White Sox having a crowded infield and getting solid production out of Tristan Peters, Braden Montgomery, and Sam Antonacci, there is not a path to a starting role for Acuña. However, with the Munetaka Murakami injury, he has received more playing time and has certainly earned more when Murakami returns.
When Acuña gets on base, he is an extremely valuable player. When you pair that with his solid defense, he has value as a utility/bench player. Over the last few weeks, he has shown that he can get on base and wreak havoc, and, in turn, he has been productive. If he can keep this up, the White Sox may have won the Luis Robert Jr. trade, as Robert Jr. has hardly played this season and is currently on the 60 day IL.
While the overall stats for Acuna this season aren’t great, he has been much better as of late. If he can continue this type of production, he could really help the White Sox, especially if he can start to hit for some power. While the jury is still out, this past month has been very promising for Acuña and he could be a valuable piece in a playoff run for the White Sox.
