White Sox Have Lofty Expectations for Luisangel Acuña in 2026

I did not like the Luis Robert Jr. trade at the time. I’m not going to shy away from that fact just because newly acquired Chicago White Sox utilityman Luisangel Acuña has gotten off to a strong start in spring training.

In my eyes, the White Sox voluntarily made their roster for the 2026 season worse for the sake of saving money. Moving Robert Jr. to Queens was nothing more than a salary dump. And while the team talked about reinvesting those savings into other moves—like signing Seranthony Domínguez and Austin Hays—my argument has remained the same.

Why not sign Domínguez and Hays anyway?

The White Sox were already at the bottom of baseball in payroll. It’s not like they were up against a hard cap or needing to cut their margins to turn a profit. Any payroll restrictions put in place by the team were completely self-imposed. And that’s a process I have an issue with, regardless of my lukewarm feelings toward Luis Robert Jr. as a player.

Of course, that argument operates under the assumption that Acuña is nothing more than a bench player at the big league level.

Nothing about his profile at the time he was acquired stood out to me. And the White Sox not seeming to know what side of the plate Acuña hits from only gave me further reason to believe the trade wasn’t about the return coming back to Chicago. It was all about clearing money.

But as we creep closer to Opening Day 2026—and as Acuña performs surprisingly well to begin Cactus League play—the internal expectations for the soon-to-be 24-year-old appear to be rising.

Recent reports imply that the White Sox are expecting a lot more from Acuña this season than I am personally. And one of us is about to be dead wrong.

Over the weekend, MLB insider Bruce Levine jumped on 104.3 The Score and mentioned that the White Sox are hoping Acuña can get 500-plus at-bats, primarily playing center field and hitting near the top of the order.

It’s not only bold of the White Sox to assume Acuña will be able to handle 500 at-bats and perform well enough to deserve regular playing time, but it’s an especially optimistic viewpoint to think he’ll hit at the top of the batting order.

Chicago’s lineup has more talent than it has had in recent years. Chase Meidroth has always seemed like a quality table-setter. Kyle Teel is one of the more well-rounded hitters on the roster. And the White Sox will want to get as many at-bats as possible for run producers such as Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Austin Hays.

So where exactly does Acuña fit besides the nine-hole as a secondary leadoff hitter with speed?

But the White Sox’ lofty expectations don’t stop there.

On Tuesday, Levine joined Mully & Haugh once again and mentioned that the White Sox believe Acuña could lead baseball in stolen bases.

“There are good things to look forward to for the White Sox, and Acuña is certainly one of them. They think potentially that he is a 50- or 60-base stealer.”

José Caballero led baseball in stolen bases in 2025 with 49. If Acuña ends up in the 50–60 range, he could lead the league by a wide margin.

So now you’re talking about a player whom the White Sox believe can man center field every day, hit near the top of the lineup, get 500 at-bats, and lead baseball in stolen bases.

If Acuña does all of that, the Luis Robert Jr. trade will be worth its weight in gold and I'll have an astronomical amount of pie on my face. But I’m having a hard time seeing where those expectations come from.

In 109 career MLB games, Acuña is batting .248 with a .640 OPS. He had 175 at-bats during the 2025 season and did not hit a home run.

What concerns me even more than the lack of MLB success is the lack of success in the minor leagues. Acuña owns a career .667 OPS in Triple-A.

When I look at a player whose offensive numbers at both the Triple-A and MLB levels are below average, I don’t have a particularly compelling reason to believe a major change is coming.

Now, I do agree with the White Sox that Acuña’s speed is attractive. With a consistent green light, he could become one of the more prolific base stealers in the sport. I won’t push back against that too much.

But 500-plus at-bats at the top of the order? I have my doubts.

Early returns from spring training side more with the White Sox than they do with me. Acuña is 5-for-10 with a home run and a stolen base, good for a 1.400 OPS. And many of the outs he has made have been loud ones.

But for every spring training that foreshadows a breakout season, there’s another that ultimately means nothing at all.

We won’t truly know how well suited Acuña is for the big league level until we get a few weeks into the regular season and watch him take consistent at-bats.

I’d also like to clarify that I hope I come out on the wrong side of this.

It would be much better for the future of the White Sox—and for the results in 2026—if Acuña proves to be an everyday center fielder who can hit enough to bat near the top of the order and steal 50 to 60 bases in a season.

Sox fans won’t miss Luis Robert Jr. one bit if that’s the case. And I’ll be rooting for it.

But as things stand right now, I fear the White Sox may have some lofty expectations for Luisangel Acuña that he simply may not be able to live up to. And all that will do is raise the expectations of the fan base higher than they need to be before the regular season even begins.