You only have to look at Leury García's playing time to understand that Tony La Russa is at least partially responsible for the way the White Sox have mismanaged injuries.
Back in August, García obviously hurt his leg during a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals, but that didn't stop La Russa from playing García in both games. He was in and out of the starting lineup over the next week before the White Sox finally placed him on the injured list. That only provided temporary relief, because he only missed the minimum amount of time before he was back in the lineup, and he didn't even have to show proof of a better condition. He started two of last three games for which La Russa wrote the lineup card, with a strikeout in a high-leverage pinch-hitting appearance in between.
Since Miguel Cairo's first full day on the job Aug. 31, García has started just four of 25 games,. Moreover, he's started just one of the last 20 games, and because Cairo has saved García for high-leverage appearances that make use of his speed, his most recent appearance dates back to the White Sox's gut-punch loss to the Guardians on Sept. 20, which started this eight-game losing streak. The White Sox really haven't been close to winning any of next/last seven games, so there hasn't been a reason to deploy García's specific strengths, and Cairo hasn't unnecessarily exposed the White Sox to García's weakness.
But Luis Robert is here to tell you that the refusal to acknowledge the gravity of injuries extends beyond the (former?) manager.
Robert went 1-for-23 with eight strikeouts over the course of the Cairo-led September before the Sox finally saw enough and placed him on the IL for the wrist he sprained back in the second week of August.
The way Rick Hahn tells it, Robert had made progress toward a healthier final month before Logan Gilbert drilled Robert's hand with a fastball on Sept. 5.
“Unfortunately, I think the hit by pitch was a real factor,” Hahn said of Robert. “Given that it was what we were originally dealing with - a sprain and wrist - and repetitive use was going to be a challenge over time while you’re ramping back up.
“So, it’s conceivable had he not been hit by a pitch, it would have started barking at some point, but certainly getting hit accelerated the pain response in that area. It is something over the passage of time, should resolve itself and we don’t foresee any issues come next spring.”
James Fegan's account of Robert's candid media session on Wednesday suggests that he wouldn't indulge that excuse ...
Being struck in the wrist by a Logan Gilbert fastball on Sept. 6 surely didn’t help, but Robert said he regarded it as just another difficulty during a difficult period, rather than something that significantly reset his progress.
... which is good, because it ultimately doesn't hold water. Hahn made it sound like the HBP derailed Robert after serious strides, but Robert went 10 days without a plate appearance before finally returning to the lineup on Sept. 5. He went 0-for-4, and then Gilbert's fastball knocked him out of the game the next day. There was no way to meaningfully extrapolate any success from one start, but Hahn's characterization of Robert's month reflects an organization-wide denial of injuries.
Robert only pointed the finger at himself. He said that he asked to play because he didn't want to be absent at a time when the team needed all hands on deck, and only after weeks of struggles and a conversation with Seby Zavala did he understand that he might be jeopardizing long-term production for no short-term advantage.
“I was picking up bad habits with my swing and that kind of backfired on what I was trying to do,” Robert said through Russo. “As soon as the soreness or the discomfort I’m feeling goes away, I’m going to be able to do what I usually do. Get to my routine and swing the bat the way I always do. Talking with all our guys, especially Seby (Zavala), he told me he was dealing with some sort of specific discomfort in his hand and because of that he developed bad habits with his swing and that was affecting him for two years. And then when he told me that, I realized, ‘I think we really made the right decision to stop’ because I didn’t want that specific soreness or specific discomfort would linger and affect my swing for a longer period of time.”
I understand why Robert wanted to play, even though it wasn't a good idea. I don't understand why the various people paid to supervise Robert didn't make the decision for him. Between La Russa, Cairo, Frank Menechino, the White Sox training staff and their bosses in the front office, the White Sox should've had all sorts of people taking the matter out of his hands. The fact that nobody stepped up until it was way too late suggests that nobody knew who was empowered. Either that, or they weren't competent or they didn't care, but I'm sure they would prefer to rule out those possibilities.
(I'm also wondering if the White Sox aren't playing Mark Payton because a random hot streak from a fully healthy player would make their inept handling of Robert's condition look even worse.)
This wouldn't be the first time a Jerry Reinsdorf White Sox team had no idea who was in charge. It's more accurate to call it a trademark of the club. Kenny Williams couldn't fire Ozzie Guillen, and Guillen couldn't get Reinsdorf to fire Williams. Two clubhouse mutinies couldn't end Robin Ventura's tenure until his contract expired. Now you have La Russa's White Sox, where apparently players are tasked with correctly measuring their pride and putting themselves on the IL. If I'm Rick Renteria, I'm telling my next potential employer that I inspired the White Sox to act like a normal organization for four years. He can't point to his record because he oversaw two rebuilds, so that might be his most impressive accomplishment.
