CHICAGO — Luis Robert Jr. could return to the Chicago White Sox in May, and the team also provided a positive update on third baseman Yoan Moncada on Friday.
Robert is on the shelf with a Grade 2 right hip flexor strain, and Moncada has a left adductor strain. The White Sox also are playing without Eloy Jimenez, another key slugger who has a left adductor strain.
“Yoan, our hope is sometime after the All-Star break in all reality. And Luis, it’s looking more like the six-week mark for a return to play,” general manager Chris Getz said before the opener of a weekend series against Cincinnati. “Yeah, it’s obviously positive news and we’ll take that. Those guys are impactful players for our major league club.”
The White Sox had not provided a timeline for Robert since the All-Star outfielder got hurt during a 2-1 loss at Kansas City last week. The oft-injured Moncada collapsed near first when he tried to beat out an infield grounder at Cleveland on Tuesday, and the team said he would be sidelined for three to six months.
Getz said the organization felt better about Moncada’s timeline after consulting with outside medical personnel.
“Sometimes you go outside of the baseball realm and you look at other sports industries and maybe there’s a common theme in another league, and in this case we were able to do that and came to the conclusion or I should say the estimated time of return,” he said. “Through those conversations we were able to estimate an earlier return than we initially thought.”
The 28-year-old Moncada, who was limited to 92 games last year and 104 games in 2022 because of injuries, was transferred to the 60-day injured list as part of a flurry of moves before the matchup with Cincinnati.
Infielder Zach Remillard and right-hander Justin Anderson were promoted from Triple-A Charlotte, and outfielder Oscar Colas was sent down. Veteran reliever Bryan Shaw was designated for assignment.
Colas is regarded as one of the team’s top prospects, but he has struggled to earn regular playing time in the majors.
“His at-bats were solid in spring training,” Getz said. “Much more patient. Much more under control and intelligent on the field, which was obviously nice to see. He’s continued to do that down in Charlotte and we’ve tasked him to stay on that track and at some point there’ll be an extended opportunity for him.”
The injuries for Robert, Moncada and Jimenez have contributed to a tough start for Chicago, which dropped 10 of its first 12 games. The White Sox had scored just 29 runs going into their six-game homestand.
While it’s going to be a while before Robert and Moncada are back, Jimenez is nearing a return. He got hurt on March 31 against Detroit.
The plan for Jimenez, who also has a history of injury trouble, is to ramp up his workouts this weekend.
“He did a really good job this past series in Cleveland,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “He intensified it a little bit, he got up to about 75 percent. We want to get him between 85 and 90 percent and then assess it again and see what we want to do. But he’s getting really close.”
The White Sox also could have some pitching help on the way. Mike Clevinger, a 33-year-old right-hander who re-signed with Chicago on April 4, could be back with the big league team by the end of April.
“He’s in Arizona right now and we’ll get him to Charlotte shortly and continue to go from there,” Getz said. “I see him joining in the next couple of weeks.”