Luis Robert Jr. was expected to rejoin the White Sox lineup on Thursday following a temporarily benching intended to give him a mental reset and allow time to work on his swing.
However, for the third consecutive game Robert Jr. was absent from the White Sox starting lineup. According to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, the 27 year old centerfileder got “hit in the head with a baseball on a ricochet while working in the cage.” Despite being left out of the lineup, Robert was cleared to return to action on Friday.
The benching came after Robert went just 1-for-20 over his last seven games, recording 10 strikeouts and three walks. It’s part of a season-long struggle at the plate, as he’s currently slashing .177/.266/.289 with five home runs and 20 RBIs through 55 games — all on pace to be career lows.
Robert has been working with White Sox hitting director Ryan Fuller on improving his timing at the plate by refining his leg kick to help him get into a better rhythm, avoid overstepping, and maximize his natural power.
Despite the setback in the cage, both White Sox manager Venable and Fuller have said Robert has been receptive to changes to his swing, with Venable adding that the 2023 All-Star has taken the temporary benching in stride.
“He’s put in a ton of work and working extremely hard all throughout the day to try and get this thing right,” Venable said. “He agreed that it would be a good idea just to press pause on the games, just for a couple of games here.”
