Luis Robert Jr. Not In Chicago White Sox Lineup Tuesday Against Rays

TAMPA, Fla. –– Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is not in the White Sox starting lineup for Tuesday's 7:05 p.m. ET game against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Michael A. Taylor gets the start in his absence.

White Sox manager Will Venable explained it is a scheduled day off for Robert, who has played in all 10 games since returning from injury on July 8.

"The way he was running around out there in Pittsburgh and a hot day yesterday, just want to keep him fresh and feeling good," Venable said.

Here's the full lineup.

Chicago White Sox
Mike Tauchman, RF
Chase Meidroth, SS
Andrew Benintendi, DH
Miguel Vargas, 1B
Edgar Quero, C
Colson Montgomery, 3B
Lenyn Sosa, 2B
Brooks Baldwin, LF
Michael A. Taylor, CF

Robert is in the midst of a season-high eight-game hit streak, going 11-for-28 with one double, two home runs, eight RBI, three stolen bases, four walks and five strikeouts. In Monday's 8-3 win over the Rays, he went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

That streak has raised Robert's batting average to .206, the highest it's been since he was hitting .231 on March 31, the fourth game of the season. His .636 OPS through 323 plate appearances is the highest since May 8, when it was .637. Despite those figures –– along with a .344 slugging percentage –– being career-low numbers, Robert still ranks eighth in MLB with 25 stolen bases and has played strong center field defense.

Through 205 plate appearances, Taylor is slashing .224/.294/.399 with five home runs, 25 RBI, seven stolen bases, 18 walks and 70 strikeouts. He's been worth 0.5 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs, compared to Robert at 0.6.

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