Luis Robert says the trade deadline chatter didn’t bother him. And it wasn’t the grind back from his hip flexor strain that was interfering with his hitting, either.
For Robert, the 2024 season has become a fall and a flop. Felled by a hip flexor strain suffered seven games into the season that kept him out of a weak lineup that desperately needed him while the White Sox were getting off to a 3-22 start. And flopped when he returned, as the 2023 All-Star center fielder and Home Run Derby participant isn’t hitting his weight.
Robert’s covering ground, making plays in center field and led the American League with 12 stolen bases in July, in indication he feels well, but he’s a far from his All-Star form.
Sox fans have cried along with him, watching their team tumble its way toward an AL record 21 game losing streak and pacing itself toward 120 losses, the record for most by any team in the modern era. The Sox take a 29-92 record into their game against the Yankees Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Robert is batting .199/.262/.394 with 12 homers in 62 games.
“It’s frustrating, so frustrating that sometimes you think, ‘I’m quitting,’ ’’ Robert said through translator Billy Russo Tuesday. But of course you won’t. You just have to keep working.”
Fans are frustrated, too. With the team, with ownership, with two 100-losses in a row almost guaranteed. Robert, the player they might pay the price admission to see play, heard boos after
Robert has pride. But he said he wasn’t put out.
“Not at all,” he said. “That’s how they feel and you have to respect that. Nothing I can control. I’m passing through this, I’m struggling right now.”
Signed by the Sox for a $26 million bonus in 2017, Robert, who turned 27 on Aug. 3, is the lone holdover from the core (Yoan Moncada is invisible with his latest injury in what will be his last season with the Sox) that was supposed to bring “multiple championships,” as former general manager Rick Hahn said. There was one division title in 2021 and a largely noncompetitive three-games-to-one bow out against the Astros that year, Robert’s second.
As the Sox rebuild again, under GM Chris Getz, Robert and All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet were made available leading to the trade deadline and will likely be trade candidates again in the offseason. The asking price was very high, and Robert’s performance did nothing to enhance his value.
Robert said coming off the injury might have affected him but the rumors did not.
“No, not at all,” he said. “The trade rumors, definitely not. The injury a little bit after I came back. But after a couple of weeks, I can’t blame my season on the injury.”
After getting booed, Robert cracked a sharp RBI single to score the Sox only run Tuesday.
“A base hit or something can get you out of your mood and get your confidence back,” Robert said, “but I still need to work and try to get my rhythm.”
And while he’s at it, regain some confidence.
“Yes, of course,” he said. “That’s a big indicator when a player is struggling because sometimes you are doing everything right, you are doing all your work. It’s just a matter of you can’t put everything together during the game. Your confidence will start kind of going down a little bit.”