Despite injury concerns, the White Sox secure Luis Robert Jr. for 2026, confirming their commitment to their star slugger.
The Chicago White Sox picked up Luis Robert Jr.’s $20 million club option for the 2026 season earlier this week. It’s a move that all White Sox fans expected.
Although Robert has been in trade rumors for most of the past year, the White Sox have ultimately hung onto him through each of the past two Trade Deadlines. That’s because the front office knows exactly the type of player he can be when healthy.
In 2023, Robert hit .264 with 38 home runs, 80 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. He also made his first and only All-Star appearance and won a Silver Slugger Award for his impressive hitting numbers that year.
In a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, general manager Chris Getz echoed how important it is to keep Robert in a White Sox uniform. The front office doesn’t have any plans to trade him this offseason.
“We're planning on him being in a White Sox uniform,” Getz told reporters. “What he did in the second half was very indicative of what he's capable of doing and how that can impact our team. You look at the production we had when he was in the lineup, and oftentimes, it helped us win baseball games.”
Robert posted much better numbers in the second half of the 2025 season, hitting .293 with six home runs, 21 RBI, and 11 stolen bases over his final 37 games. However, injuries continue to hold back the 28-year-old.
He played in just 100 games in 2024 and missed another 50-plus games this past year. With over 100 missed games over the past two seasons, Robert hasn’t been available to contribute to this White Sox team. Sometimes, the best ability is availability.
But both sides are committed to one another. Getz does not want to trade Robert away, and the White Sox outfielder doesn’t want to play anywhere else.
“Once the trade deadline passed and the team didn’t trade me, I had hope that I would stay here,” Robert told reporters on a Zoom call through the team’s translator. "I was hoping this would happen, that I would stay with the team. This is the only team I've played for. This is the team that gave me the opportunity to play."
It sounds like the White Sox will not trade away Robert before the 2026 season begins. The front office just picked up his $20 million option for this upcoming year, and the 28-year-old wants to continue to play for this team.
Nonetheless, there is still a chance that Chicago listens to offers on him at the Trade Deadline in the summer. The White Sox are projected to finish toward the bottom of the American League next year, and Robert will likely be one of the team’s biggest trade chips at the deadline.
For now, Robert is locked in to start the 2026 season with the White Sox. He still has two more years left with the team and has another club option for $20 million next offseason.