Losing left fielder Eloy Jimenez for most or all of the season with an injury in spring training was a huge blow for the White Sox.
Losing center fielder Luis Robert for at least three months might be an even bigger loss to the team’s pennant hopes. While Jimenez was a more polished hitter, Robert is an explosive and improving one, with blazing speed and a Gold Glove at one of the most important positions on the field.
Moving forward without not one but both of them is what the Sox are now dealing with after it became known Monday that Robert has a Grade 3 strain of his his right hip flexor — a complete tear — and will not resume baseball activities for 12 to 16 weeks. General manager Rick Hahn, before catching a plane to watch the Sox play the Reds in Cincinnati Tuesday and Wednesday, said Monday it’s too soon to know how long Robert will be out.
Consultation with specialists in the coming days will determine whether Robert will have surgery.
“The options include surgery, if in fact the tear has affected the tendon’s attachment to the bone, or a rehabilitation process in which natural healing will take place if the tear is to the muscle as opposed to the attachment,” Hahn said
The timeline is the same either way, Hahn said.
Robert was injured running out an infield single in the first inning Sunday against the Indians. He had to be helped off the field and did not put pressure on his right leg. He appeared to suffer the injury just before reaching first base.
Robert is hitting .316/.359/.461/ with an .822 OPS and one homer, nine doubles, a triple and four stolen bases. He won a Gold Glove and was second in voting for AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2020.
The Sox lost Jimenez with a pectoral injury during spring training, and they also lost Adam Engel during camp with a hamstring injury. Leury Garcia figures to man most of the innings in center before the return of Engel, who was initially expected back in April but suffered a setback during his rehab and will not begin a rehab assisgnment for at least three weeks, Hahn said.
