The White Sox are bringing Luis Robert Jr. again into the fold for 2026. Jesse Rogers of ESPN studies that the staff is exercising its membership choice over the middle fielder. Robert will make $20MM in 2026, relatively being paid a $2MM buyout and heading into free company. The White Sox maintain a further $20MM membership choice over him for the 2027 season.
This was all the time the anticipated plan of action as soon as the White Sox opted to not commerce Robert on the commerce deadline. Basic supervisor Chris Getz has solely bolstered that pondering within the months since, stating on a number of events that he expects the oft-injured heart fielder to be part of his membership transferring ahead.
Two years in the past, when the South Siders have been within the earlier levels of their rebuild, Robert appeared like a possible big-ticket commerce chip. His 2023 marketing campaign was glorious. Robert made the All-Star staff, garnered down-the-ballot MVP votes and gained a Silver Slugger after raking at a .264/.315/.542 clip with 38 house runs. He additionally swiped 20 luggage in 24 tries and performed plus protection in heart discipline.
At that time, the Sox had two assured years remaining on Robert’s $50MM extension, plus a pair of membership choices. They didn’t deem any gives that offseason ample, and Robert was retained heading into the 2024 marketing campaign. The subsequent two years proved to be one thing of a worst-case state of affairs. Robert slashed a mixed .223/.288/.372 in 856 plate appearances over the previous two seasons and endured a number of journeys to the injured checklist, lacking time with a hip flexor pressure and a pair of hamstring strains.
The hope heading into 2025 was {that a} more healthy season would construct commerce worth for Robert forward of the deadline. He had maybe the worst stretch of his profession for the season’s first two-plus months however caught fireplace in early June. That sparked some commerce curiosity, however to not the purpose that groups have been keen to half with top-tier prospect expertise. The Sox, not desirous to promote low on a participant with All-Star, borderline MVP upside, held onto Robert. He posted middling offensive numbers in August earlier than a hamstring pressure late within the month ended his season.
Bleak as Robert’s general season numbers have been, he did submit a stable .274/.335/.458 batting line (118 wRC+) with 9 house runs, a 19.7% strikeout fee and a 7.6% stroll fee in his ultimate 198 journeys to the plate. That’s a methods off his 2023 peak, but when Robert may handle that degree of efficiency transferring ahead, he’d be a wonderful worth at his $20MM price ticket. After all, that’s a colossal “if,” given each his frequent journeys to the injured checklist and the terrible 658 plate appearances he logged from Opening Day 2024 by way of early June 2025.
Robert’s title may effectively come again up in offseason commerce chatter, but it surely’s laborious to think about the Sox transferring him after hanging onto him on the deadline. Affords in July apparently weren’t interesting sufficient to make a transfer, and Robert’s .256/.287/.409 post-deadline manufacturing and subsequent season-ending hamstring pressure didn’t do something to spice up his worth.
Assuming Robert certainly heads to spring coaching as the middle fielder for the ChiSox, he presently initiatives to be flanked by veterans Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman. The Sox would like to discover a solution to transfer on from the ultimate two years of Benintendi’s ill-fated five-year, $75MM contract, however that’s unlikely until they merely launch him. Tauchman, like Robert, wasn’t moved on the deadline — however he’s a 34-year-old veteran coming off a stable sufficient season that an offseason commerce is feasible.
If Robert can flip in an enormous first half subsequent yr, it’s possible that he may nonetheless command a notable commerce return. There’ll all the time be harm issues, however few heart fielders possess such a dynamic set of uncooked instruments. Heart discipline upgrades are briefly provide at any level of the calendar, and a $20MM price ticket on each his 2026 season and 2027 choice will look lots affordable if he’s wholesome and productive subsequent summer time. There are numerous ifs, and it’s definitely a threat to choose up his choice, however the White Sox have nearly no cash on the books and may afford to as soon as once more roll the cube on him bouncing again, even when it’s controversial that they need to’ve taken the most effective return accessible in July and moved on completely.
