Today was not a great day of news for the White Sox, and for those who feared the worst, their fears were certainly warranted. In the first inning of yesterday’s game against the Cleveland Indians, Luis Robert stumbled while running to first to beat out an infield single. While running, something clearly wasn’t right, as he started hopping to land in the grass and stayed down as the trainers came out to tend to him.
At the time, it was announced Robert left with a right hip flexor strain. Today, it was announced that he suffered a Grade 3 strain – the worst possible outcome.
Robert, as mentioned above, is expected to be held out of baseball-related activities for 12-16 weeks. After that, he will begin a ramp-up period in order to hopefully get back on the field in some form later on in the season. However, surgery is still on the table for the White Sox’ CF, and it has not been ruled out yet by the team.
It comes as no surprise that as a result of this news, Rick Hahn and the rest of the White Sox’ front office will begin to explore trades for outfielders to help the Sox over the course of the next four months. Names that have been tossed around by fans include Kris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon, Joey Gallo, Mitch Haniger, and Jesse Winker, among others. While it is too early to say Robert is out for the season, the outlook is bleak, to say the least.
Lopez, Engel Also Suffer Injuries
Today’s news dump wasn’t just about Luis Robert. Rick Hahn also announced that Adam Engel suffered a setback in his comeback from a hamstring strain, one that will set him completely back in his rehab process – he will be at least three weeks away from any rehab stint. In addition, Reynaldo Lopez had eye surgery to deal with vision issues and should be available to return in three weeks.
Engel’s injury puts more pressure on the front office to find external options to replace Luis Robert.
Bottom Line: Not a Great Day for the South Siders
There’s no way to write this that doesn’t absolutely stink. After losing Eloy Jimenez in Spring Training, the loss of Luis Robert will be even more difficult for the White Sox. With over 130 games left in the season, Rick Hahn and the rest of the front office are going to need to get creative in order to avoid a scenario where a complete season of their contention window is lost. Guys like Lance Lynn were brought in to capitalize on this season, so the White Sox need to avoid a scenario where this entire season is lost.
Despite the pretty crappy news, all hope is not lost, as this is an incredibly talented ball club. However, their jobs just got a lot more difficult today. Players like Yasmani Grandal and Jose Abreu are going to need to step up and perform in order to help this team reach the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
Stay tuned for more updates as they become available. Until then, go Sox.
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Sad day for Luis Robert and all Sox fans.No doubt this is the low point of the year.
I’ve always liked Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies.We could also use an upgrade for Evan Marshall.His lazy slider looks extremely hittable.