CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox are going to rest Luis Robert Jr. for a couple days to give the slumping slugger more room to work on some changes at the plate.
Robert stayed on the bench during Chicago's 8-1 win over Detroit on Tuesday night, and first-year manager Will Venable said he plans to give him another day on Wednesday.
“He’ll be available, but not in the starting lineup, just to give (him) an opportunity to really dial in some of these adjustments without just feeling the pressure of having to go out there and perform,” Venable said before Tuesday's victory. “So he’s in a good spot physically. And just want to give him a couple days here to lock in some of these adjustments.”
The 27-year-old Robert is 1 for 20 with 10 strikeouts and three walks in his last seven games. He is batting a career-low .177 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 55 games this season.
The last-place White Sox had lost seven of eight before Tuesday's win against the Tigers. Michael A. Taylor, who replaced Robert in center field, homered and drove in four runs.
Venable said Robert responded positively to the idea of taking a couple days off.
“He is putting in a ton of work and working extremely hard all throughout the day to try and get this thing right,” Venable said. “He agreed that it would be a good idea just to press pause on the games, just for a couple of days here.”
Robert is tied for the major league lead with 21 steals, and he also plays strong defense in center. But he hasn't been able to find his swing at the plate.
An All-Star in 2023, Robert has been playing through some right knee soreness. But Venable said he doesn't think it has been limiting him in any way.
“There’s some soreness, but I think that it’s not more than any soreness that all these guys feel during the course of the summer and playing hard out there every day,” he said.
The White Sox made a move with their pitching staff on Tuesday, placing right-hander Jonathan Cannon on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain. Right-hander Caleb Freeman was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
The 24-year-old Cannon was tagged for five runs in three innings in a 13-1 loss to Detroit in the series opener on Monday night. He is 2-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 10 starts and two relief appearances this season.
“Got some imaging done and they’re continuing to evaluate it,” Venable said. "Yeah, it’s gonna be some time here, but we’ll continue to see how he feels before we put a timeline on it.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Jay Cohen, The Associated Press
