The White Sox placed center fielder Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day injured list Sunday (retroactive to Thursday) due to a strained left hamstring.
Robert sustained the injury last Wednesday while chasing down a fly ball caught by right fielder Michael A. Taylor. He exited after the first inning and hasn’t appeared in a game since.
Chicago had Thursday off and played short-handed Friday and Saturday. That continued into Sunday, with the team expected to make a corresponding roster move before Tuesday’s series opener in Los Angeles.
Manager Benji Venable had said on Friday and Saturday that the club initially didn’t believe an IL stint was necessary. Robert took part in baseball activities like running and hitting on Saturday and was considered available off the bench, even if not ready to start.
“We were trying to avoid putting him on the IL and didn’t think the injury was too serious,” Venable said prior to Saturday’s game.
However, Robert evidently didn’t make enough progress, prompting the team to place him on the injured list. The former All-Star is enduring the worst offensive season of his six-year MLB career, batting just .185/.270/.313 with eight home runs, 32 RBIs, 29 walks, and 88 strikeouts in 285 plate appearances.
Despite his struggles at the plate, Robert remains a standout defender in center field and is tied for fourth in the majors with 22 stolen bases. General manager Chris Getz previously acknowledged on June 6 that other teams have shown interest in trading for Robert.