White Sox’ Luis Robert Jr. exits game with left knee soreness

BOSTON — In the confounding mess that was the 2023 season — and we use the past tense with six games remaining only because it’s been over for a long, long time — the White Sox will always have the clean breakout that was Luis Robert Jr.

At age 26, three seasons after finishing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting and first in the AL Gold Glove competition, Robert became an All-Star, an even better center fielder who put up numbers worthy of Most Valuable Player votes.

But Robert’s top goal of playing 150 games was in reach — he appeared in his 145th game Sunday — may now be in jeopardy after he left Sunday’s game with a sore left knee, the result of an awkward slide into second base on his 20th stole base of the season.

Robert played center field in the bottom of the first and made a running catch before having his knee looked at by trainer James Kruk after the inning. He will be further evaluated Monday in Chicago before the Sox open a six-game homestand against the Diamondbacks and Padres to finish their season. Robert needs to play five games to reach his goal.

Finishing without Robert would be just another buzzkill in a season fraught with buzz saws for the Sox, who entered Sunday with a 59-96 record. Robert is a candidate to be the first Sox to win a Silver Slugger Award (for best offensive player at his position) and Gold Glove in the same season.

He owns a .279/.327/.500 hitting line and .827 OPS. His 38th homer of the season Saturday was perhaps the least impressive of his career, traveling only 311 feet but landing near the unique right field pole at Fenway Park in the ninth inning of a 1-0 victory.

With the stolen base that ended his day, Robert joine Magglio Ordonez in 2001 as the only Sox to accomplish 35-plus doubles, 30-plus homers and 20-plus steals. Robert and Mookie Betts are the only players this season with 35 or more homers and doubles.

Robert has 36 doubles, 80 RBI, 90 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. He is the major leagues’ only player this season and only one in franchise history with 35 or more homers, 35 or more doubles, 75 or more RBI, 85 or runs and 15-plus stolen bases.

But Robert’s biggest goal, he said, was to stay healthy. He played in 56 of the 60 games during the abbreviated 2020 season as a rookie but was limited to 68 in 2021 and 98 in 2022. He wrote down “150” during spring training, and played his 145th Sunday with six left on the calendar.

“That has been my goal all year,” Robert said through translator Billy Russo on Saturday. “That’s what means the most to me.”

No matter what the final number is on games played, Robert’s strides bode well for for his future.

“He’s becoming a superstar, but there is a whole lot more in the tank,” first base and outfielders coach Daryl Boston said.

Boston recalls when Robert, in his first season, was apprehensive and “struggled on balls” going to the wall.

“He’s much better. His feel for the game,” Boston said. “Now he’s fearless. He always wanted to play a little deeper because he was afraid to take his eye off the ball. He got banged up a couple times and was a little shy of the wall but once he got a feel for taking his eye off the ball and picking up the ball he’s been money.”

The next step is on the bases, where Robert should be getting better jumps on steals. Makes you wonder if 30-plus stolen bases is a reasonable goal.

“He wants to steal bases more but in his mind he’d rather get thrown out at second than get picked off at first base,” Boston said. “He’s hesitant with his jumps. We have to get him over that.”