CLEVELAND — The White Sox were without center fielder Luis Robert Jr. for their 6-0 win against the Guardians after the All-Star candidate tweaked one of his quad muscles in the outfield Tuesday night.
Robert is day to day, and after manager Pedro Grifol didn’t rule him out Thursday when the Sox open a four-game series in Detroit, Robert spoke confidently after Wednesday’s game that he would play Thursday.
“It was more like a cramp,” Robert said through translator Billy Russo. “I did everything today and it felt good.”
Grifol could play it safe and give Robert one more day off.
“If he needs a day he needs a day,” he said. “He’s ran hard the first month and a half of the season.”
Robert has missed two games this season and was due for a rest. He is batting .360/.429/.773 with eight homers, seven doubles, 16 RBI and 20 runs scored in May.
The precise muscle is the right rectus femoris, a quad muscle near the hip. Robert picked up Jose Ramirez’s triple that banged off the right field wall and made an awkward turn throwing to the infield.
Grifol praised Robert’s pregame work as “second to none” and “one of the best I’ve ever seen, to a point where you get kind of concerned a little bit because he’s doing so much work prior to a game.”
“But that’s what he feels he needs to do. I’ve been around player like that who feels they have to put that type of work in to be ready for the game.”
Frazier in center
Clint Frazier saw action in center field with Triple-A Charlotte, and he was Grifol’s choice to take Robert’s spot Wednesday. Adam Haseley entered for defensive purposes in center, moving Frazier to right and Gavin Sheets out of the game. In the eighth, Frazier threw out Andres Gimenez at second trying to stretch a single.
“The reports we’ve gotten is he’s more than capable of [center],” Grifol said.
“That was a big defensive play [in right] down the line.
Burger shakes off five strikeouts
Jake Burger struck out five times Tuesday, then went to the batting cage after the game.
“It’s almost therapeutic to go down to the cage and get the frustration out a little bit,” Burger said. “It’s one bad game. And it won’t be the last of my career. I feel good, you move on.”
Burger lined out to second and hit a sacrifice fly his first two times Wednesday.
“That’s the beauty of having a 6-month-old [baby],” he said. “He doesn’t care if you go 0-for-5 or 5-for-5. He was smiling at me on FaceTime. He gives me that perspective of what this is really for.”
Burger, a third baseman by trade, was the DH again but could get some game action at second base. He worked at second base during the 2021 offseason and said he played a half dozen or so games at Charlotte there. He is working with coach Eddie Rodriguez around the bag now.
“Growing up, you see Dan Uggla over there, Mike Moustakas, Max Muncy, some power guys at second base,” said Burger, who has 10 homers. “I enjoy learning a new position.”
