As Weather Turns, White Sox Anticipate Surge From Luis Robert Jr.

CHICAGO – March and April have historically been less productive months for White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. That's the case again in 2025 as the 27-year-old Cuban is batting .158 with a .588 OPS 27 games into the season.

Across his six-year MLB career, his lowest batting average and on-base percentage of any month have come in March and April, along with his second-lowest slugging percentage and OPS. Even during his All-Star and Silver Slugger season in 2023, Robert struggled with a .213 batting average before the calendar turned to May.

There are a few signs that Robert could be turning things around, though. He has four hits and two home runs in the last four games, including a 415-foot home run Tuesday night off of Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.

Another one by Luis Robert Jr.‼️ pic.twitter.com/vwrSzh16ia
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) April 29, 2025

Speaking before Tuesday's game, White Sox general manager Chris Getz had faith Robert would soon heat up.

"For us to going into the season, it was really navigating April, keeping him on the field knowing that as the weather warms up there was going to be more production in there," Getz said. "I think that it's safe to assume that's likely to happen. I know he gets frustrated at times and we do as well, wanting him to come through in big moments. But he has come through plenty of moments this year for us. We still have faith in Luis and we know that Luis is doing everything he can to be more productive. We feel like it's about to turn and hopefully here it warms up and we can continue to see more positives from Luis."

"I agree with him," Robert said of Getz's comment. "Even though my offensive production hasn’t been at the level I wanted or what I know I can do, I’ve been able to help this team in other different areas. I think that’s good. Of course this is just a month into the season. I think we have to pass this month and then focus on the next month, or at least that’s my goal. I started finding ways to get my offense on."

Despite some of Robert's underwhelming numbers at the plate, he's found other ways to contribute early on. He leads the AL with 11 stolen bases, behind only Pete Crow-Armstrong and Oneil Cruz for the MLB lead. Robert has four stolen bases in his last three games, and said Tuesday he's thinking of stealing every time he gets on.

Getz mentioned Robert's speed and defense as positives too, and said there have been times where he's felt he's about to take off at the plate. As someone who's battled injuries that have limited him to 100 games or fewer in four of his first five seasons, Robert sees his base-stealing acumen as a sign of health.

"My body feels good. I hope it feels this way all the season," Robert said. "I’ve been running a lot. I think you guys can see that. I’ve been doing my work in the gym. I’ve been very diligent in my preparation, and hopefully that’s something that’s going to keep me out of injuries this season."

Robert thinks pitchers have done a good job attacking the strike zone and hitting the corners against him. But he also acknowledges he's been missing their mistakes too often, which is when he has to make pitchers pay. He called it a work in progress and feels he's getting closer to where he wants to be.

Robert is still a bit perplexed by some of his offensive numbers this season, however. His chase rate is a career-low 29, at least 6.9% lower than any previous seasons. He also has a career-high 14.8% walk rate, which is more than 65 higher than the last five seasons.

Those aren't the only factors at play, but they suggest higher levels of offensive production.

"That’s one of the things that has been difficult for me to understand," Robert said. "If I’m getting walks, I’m not swinging at pitches that are out of the strike zone, right? Then why is my offense is not producing? Why am I not hitting the way that I can? I think it’s because I’ve been missing the mistakes. That’s the only explanation I can find right now. Once I start punishing those pitches, my offense is going to be good."

Getz believes some of Robert's issues at the plate are timing-related, and he could be more consistent with a few mechanical adjustments. He also said Robert is being pitched very tough, but he's proven to be able to combat that in past seasons.

"It's really about we want to support him," Getz said. "We want to surround him with the best hitters we can. We feel like we're going to be able to do that in the near future and we feel like we're going to reap the rewards."

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