Luis

Robert Jr.

Robert Jr. came up in a big spot against the Red Sox, taking Greg Weissert deep for a game-tying two-run blast in the seventh inning. It was his second home run of the season. He also drew two walks in the game. The 27-year-old outfielder has struggled at the plate in the early going, slashing .145/.260/.258 with the two homers and six steals across 75 plate appearances.

Robert tied the game with his two-run shot after Richard Fitts left due to injury in the sixth. He later walked, stole second and scored on a Brooks Baldwin hit to end the game in the ninth. The homer, a 384-foot shot to right, was his first in 54 plate appearances this season.

Robert had a chance to do some serious damage when he came to the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, but ended up grounding into a double play. The 27-year-old has gotten off to a painfully-slow start at the plate, batting .143 (4-for-28) with one steal through eight contests. It’s too early to completely panic, but it’s not what fantasy managers want to see in the early stages of the year while he’s playing for a non-contender.

Robert has closed out the spring on a bit of a hot streak, going deep in back-to-back contests to end Cactus League play. The 27-year-old’s power-speed upside is among the game’s elite, but the lack of a strong supporting cast leaves him in the top-30 range at the moment among fantasy outfielders.

The dynamic 27-year-old outfielder crushed (102.7 mph EV) the first pitch that he saw from Jeff Brigham in the opening inning for a solo homer to give the White Sox an early 1-0 edge. He went down on strikes in each of his other two at-bats on the day, finishing the afternoon 1-for-3. So far in Cactus League action, he has hit .277 (13-for-47) with three homers, five RBI and a stolen base. As long as he’s able to avoid the injured list, he should be a strong fantasy contributor once again in 2025, even with his counting stats being a bit muted due to his supporting cast.

Robert blasted a two-run shot off Logan Evans,and he also singled in a run in the same inning. The 27-year-old was the subject of trade rumors after his disappointing 2024 season, and while the RBI chances may not be there, he’s still talented enough to contribute in several categories.

Rosenthal mentioned that “the teams could not find a middle ground on players or dollars,” which is why the Reds pivoted and signed Austin Hays. Robert will earn $15 million in 2025, and his contract also includes $20 million club options for each of the next two seasons. Rosenthal mentions that each option comes with a $2 million buyout, so Robert is guaranteed at least $17 million per season, which could be seen as a lot to pay for somebody who has only played in more than 100 games once during his career. Of course, that was an elite season. The Reds had discussed infield prospect Edwin Arroyo with the White Sox, but they ultimately “could not get comfortable with the total cost,” so now Chicago will head into spring training with Robert Jr. on their roster.

Olney mentions that Robert could be a central focus of the winter meetings next week. Many teams allegedly feel like “Chicago wants to cash out on whatever diminished value Robert has now, rather than risk seeing his value crater even more through another subpar season.” The 27-year-old outfielder will make $15 million next season, with $20 million club options for 2025 and 2026 so he’s on a very reasonable contract if a team believes he can bounce back to his previous form.

Robert drove in the game-tying run in the eighth inning to bail the White Sox out of what would have been their record-setting 121st loss. It was the only hit of the night for Robert, who has now hit safely in three of his last four contests.

Fletcher is batting .218/.267/.275 on the season and .186/.222/.279 this month, so it’s a rather odd move. We’re guessing it was more about wanting Luis Robert Jr. batting third; he’s been batting second since early August and not exactly excelling there. Nicky López, who usually leads off when in the lineup, is batting second tonight. Andrew Benintendi (fourth) and Andrew Vaughn (fifth) are also hitting one spot lower than usual.