White Sox’ Luis Robert Jr. to participate in Home Run Derby

When White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. was named to his first All-Star team Sunday, he already had made it known that the Home Run Derby didn’t interest him.

But after talking to fellow Cubans who will participate, Robert’s sense of homeland pride took hold, and he changed his mind. On Wednesday, the speedy slugger who has 25 homers announced that he will participate in the contest at the All-Star festivities next week in Seattle.

“I talked with a couple of my countrymen who said they are going to participate in the Derby, and they convinced me,” Robert said. ‘‘Randy [Arozarena] and Adolis [Garcia]. We all said, ‘Let’s do it.’ ’’

Robert will be the first Sox participant since Todd Frazier in 2016. That was one year before the Sox signed Robert, then 19, to a $26 million bonus.

“It definitely is an honor to represent Cuba, my country,” he said. “I feel proud of it. We left our country with a lot of sacrifices, trying to look for a better future. We were able to get that. Now being on this stage, being able to represent our country, it’s something that makes you feel happy and just makes you proud, and you carry your country wherever you go.”

A five-tool talent, Robert has avoided injury problems this season that plagued him in the past, and his game is taking off to another level. He’s making sound decisions in the field and at bat, especially in recent weeks, laying off more pitches out of the strike zone.

“If he swings at strikes, balls are going to go a long way,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “And he’s swinging at strikes. He’s having some really good at-bats, taking really good pitches. This is who he is. This is not like, oh, he’s on a hot streak. If he continues to not chase and swing at good pitches, he’s going to do a lot of damage.”

That could be said for the Home Run Derby, as well. Robert will rely on Sox pregame instructor Luis Sierra, one of the team’s batting-practice pitchers, to feed him the good tosses in Seattle. Grifol isn’t overly concerned about the contest affecting Robert’s swing in an adverse way.

“There would be [concern] if I thought that he would be one of these guys just trying to change his swing,” Grifol said. “But his personality is just be who he is, stay calm, take the same swing. You very rarely see him overswing in a game, no matter the counts. It doesn’t matter whether he’s 0-2 or 3-0, it’s almost the same swing, the same effort-level swing. So I’m anticipating that doesn’t change.

“But he’s a big part of this team. We need him to come back healthy and ready to go for the second half.”

Robert hit his 25th homer Tuesday in the Sox’ 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays. The ball traveled 450 feet, the longest homer by a Sox hitter this season. He is tied with Pete Alonso of the Mets for third in homers in the majors behind the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (31) and the Braves’ Matt Olson (28).

With the most homers of all the participants, Robert is the top seed in the bracket. The others: Alonso (2), Mookie Betts, Dodgers (3); Garcia, Rangers (4); Arozarena, Rays (5); Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (6); Julio Rodriguez, Mariners (7) and Adley Rutschman, Orioles (8).

The home-run competition from T-Mobile Park will be aired Monday on ESPN at 7 p.m.