Luis Robert Jr. Fails To Reward White Sox For Their Patience

Chris Getz is a patient general manager. He has declined to dump Luis Robert Jr. in any of the last three busy periods of trade activity, believing the two-way talent could rebuild his market, but Robert simply won’t do his part.

Now it’s worth wondering if the White Sox really will exercise Robert’s $20-million contract option for 2026 or simply write him one last check — the $2-million buyout in that option, that is.

The 28-year-old center fielder has been limited by injuries and inconsistency since an All-Star season in 2023, when he played a career-high 145 games. Getz has consistently valued Robert more highly than the interested teams — a list that reportedly included the Reds, Mets, Phillies and Padres before the recent trade deadline.

It was a major surprise when the White Sox didn’t trade him in July. Getz told reporters there was “an effort to acquire him, but certainly it wasn’t to the level we felt like could have met the mark for us to make a move on from a talent like Luis Robert.”

This was the same situation last winter, as well as at the trade deadline in 2024. Yet Getz kept believing in Robert, and for a brief stretch it appeared he would be rewarded.

Robert hit .400 with three home runs, nine stolen bases and a 1.051 OPS in 15 games between July 19 and Aug. 7. This was the version of La Pantera that Getz was holding his breath to see again. It may have been fool’s gold, however.

Robert hit .204 with a .609 OPS in 16 games before going on the disabled list with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring on Aug. 27. He’s unlikely to play again this season, and you wonder if he’ll ever again be seen in a White Sox uniform.

Assuming Robert remains on the Injured List, he’ll finish 2025 having earned 1.4 rWAR over 110 games. He has accumulated 2.8 rWAR over 210 games the last two seasons, hitting .223 with a .288 on-base percentage, 28 home runs, 56 stolen bases and a .660 OPS.

This is the final guaranteed year in the $50 million deal Robert was given before his rookie season in 2020, carrying him through his arbitration years and into his free-agent year. It includes $20-million options for next season and ’27, and it has seemed Getz has the backing of his ownership to pick up the first of those.

The White Sox certainly have the payroll flexibility. They have only $20.6 million on the books for next season: $17.1 million for the fourth of Andrew Benintendi’s five season, the $2 million buyout for Robert and a $1.5 million buyout for pitcher Martin Perez, who holds a $10 million mutual option for ’26.

While the White Sox have had success transitioning young catchers and infielders to the major leagues, they are thin on outfield prospects. However, the light-hitting Michael A. Taylor provides a short-term alternative to Robert.

Taylor, 34, signed a one-year, $1.95 million contract for this season, his 12th in the majors. He was hitting .206 with a .637 OPS through 124 games — his career OPS (.668) is only slightly better — but has played solid defense while starting in all three outfield spots. Fangraphs has given him a rating of +61 Defensive Runs Saved with Kansas City, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and the White Sox over the last five seasons.

Getz will certainly consider outfield acquisitions, including some who can play center field. With their stockpile of financial flexibility, the Sox could trade for a player who was likely to be non-tendered elsewhere. They will certainly spend a lot of time crunching the list of players in the Rule 5 draft, where they added Shane Smith last December.

But Getz will be in the dark on any of those possibilities when he (and the team’s ownership) makes the decision on Robert. Options for 2026 must be exercised or declined within five days from the completion of the World Series.

Will Getz say “enough’s enough” and finally move on? That seems likely but at this point who can say?