For anybody attempting to make progress on any sort of daily or weekly discipline, it's a good idea to keep a log in order to establish baselines, track progress and add an element of accountability.
If the White Sox were doing one for Luis Robert, they'd probably see an activity pattern that would make them wonder why they're even trying.
Aug. 25: Went 0-for-5 with two double plays in an 11-inning loss to Baltimore. His wrist problems resurfaced late in the game, when he had difficulty holding onto the bat on his follow-through to such an extent that even the guy whose brand is glorifying pitchers at the expense of hitters regretted where his instincts led him.
Aug. 26: Did not play
Aug. 27: Did not play
Aug. 28: Pinch-ran for Eloy Jiménez after a one-out walk in the ninth inning, but next two batters struck out.
Aug. 29: Off day
Aug. 30: Did not play
Aug. 31: Defensive replacement in the ninth inning.
Sept. 1: Did not play
Sept. 2: Did not play (paternity leave)
Sept. 3: Did not play (paternity leave)
Sept. 4: Did not play
Sept. 5: Started and went 0-for-4.
Sept. 6: Started, but struck out in both plate appearances before being replaced in the bottom of the fifth.
The White Sox said that Robert departed the game with a bruised left hand, and he'll be day-to-day. Both parts of that injury description fail to enlighten. Robert's been day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day this point, and I also doubt the impact of Logan Gilbert's fastball has much to do with his status. It didn't help, but Robert's wrist injury makes stopping a swing difficult even on pitches down the middle.
Speaking of which, Robert didn't think about offering at any of Gilbert's three plate-splitting fastballs over the remainder of his two plate appearances, including a strike three to end that first battle. In fact, Gilbert probably could've set him down on three pitches the following at-bat, but he and Cal Raleigh looked like they braced for the rope-a-dope, so they called for a slider that Robert swung over with one hand. Danny Mendick, making a guest appearance in the booth during the inning, said it all with just one guttural syllable.
Miguel Cairo said after the game that it's undecided whether Robert will play today, so there's one area where there's no real improvement over Tony La Russa. If Robert's around because he can man center field and pinch-run, that basically makes him redundant with Adam Engel and Leury García, and I'd rather see either of those guys at the plate.
The Sox could put Robert's roster spot to far better use by calling up Carlos Pérez, who could at least make it easy for Cairo to pinch-run for a catcher without fear of a crisis later in the game.
If they wanted a chance of improving the everyday lineup, it's late enough in the season to consider Oscar Colás.
I have been wary of promoting Colás from Birmingham because we just saw how Lenyn Sosa struggled after a two-level jump, and while I appreciated the bold thinking behind the roster patch, there's a chance that exercising the option before he was ready for the majors complicates matters a couple years down the line. Colás could very well experience the same rough adjustment period, so I preferred seeing the Sox diffuse the risk by making sure his first option was exercised in 2023.
Now that only four weeks remain on the calendar, the Sox could carry Colás on the 28-man roster the rest of the way no matter how he fares at the plate. He's hitting .317/.377/.587 at Birmingham, so maybe he'll be able to tread water with ease, but should he start his MLB career 0-for-15 with 11 strikeouts, he's still a multi-level upgrade over Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets in the corners, and you'd rather see him at the plate when crossing fingers for a homer off a righty, because that job falls to García when Sheets isn't available.
That scenario is far from ideal. The Sox would prefer to call up Colás next May. He'd have a fresh season for logging meaningful Triple-A experience, the stakes would be far lower, and the runway would be far longer. (There would also be likely service-time benefits, but let's pretend the White Sox had a real Plan A for right field next year, which would push baseball reasons to the forefront.)
With the Sox in third place, these are desperate times, but since the Sox know Robert only has one hand and they still have to bat him seventh, Colás might not be such a desperate measure. The combination of pressures, both from hype and the standings, would require the National Weather Service to issue a severe bubble-bursting warning, but regardless of Colás, the Sox are already a bad weekend of baseball away from sucking all the air out of the room.
