Luis Robert Jr.’s 2024 took a turn for the worse as he made a turn toward second base.
The All-Star center fielder suffered a Grade 2 right hip flexor strain while legging out a double in the ninth inning on April 5 against the Kansas City Royals.
Robert missed nearly two months. And he never really got on a roll after returning in early June, one of the many issues for the Sox in a modern record-setting 121-loss season.
The Tribune’s offseason look at the Sox continues with questions about the club’s outfield.
1. Can Luis Robert Jr. bounce back, and how does a down 2024 affect a potential trade?
Robert homered twice in the second game of the season, a 7-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers in 10 innings. Less than a week later, he was out of the lineup for an extended time with the hip flexor strain.
He homered in his return on June 4 against the Chicago Cubs, the first of seven home runs that month. But he hit .202 with 33 strikeouts in 24 June games. He struck out 38 times in July and 33 again in August on the way to finishing with 141 strikeouts for the season.
Robert posted career-lows in batting average (.224), on-base percentage (.278) and slugging (.379) in 2024. He had 14 home runs, 35 RBIs and a career-best 23 stolen bases in 100 games.
“It was a small window of time, but you look at the first week of the season, he was starting off where he left off the year before,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said during last month’s MLB GM meetings. “And so when he got hurt, I really think he was rushing to make up for the lack of at-bats and the production, because he wanted to finish the year feeling really good about his 2024 season.
“Now, that wasn’t the case, it was a tough year, he was dealt a tough hand considering the injury, but we believe in Luis Robert. We’ve been around him long enough and we remain believers that he can be an All-Star-type center fielder.”
Robert had 38 home runs and 80 RBIs while earning an All-Star selection in 2023. He had a .857 OPS in 2023, which slipped to .657 in 2024.
“We know what he’s capable of,” Getz said. “(In 2023), he was one of the best players in baseball and one that can accumulate a fair amount of wins for a ballclub. We have to get him right and we’re confident that we’re going to position him well for success.”
Even coming off a down season, Robert’s name has appeared in trade speculation because of the potential impact he can make offensively and defensively.
“We’ll have conversations if a team comes calling,” Getz said. “But we’re also pretty happy and comfortable to know that Luis Robert can play center field for us next year.”
2. Will Andrew Benintendi carry over his second-half success?
Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run home run on Aug. 6 at Oakland, helping the Sox snap their American League record-tying 21-game losing streak.
The left fielder hit another two-run home run the next day against the Athletics. And he homered twice when the Sox returned home on Aug. 9 against the Cubs.
“You enjoy it while you can because it’s such a tough game,” Benintendi said after the 7-6 loss to the Cubs.
Tough is one way to describe Benintendi’s first half, when he had a .201/.258/.311 slash line in 75 games. It was a different story after the All-Star break, as Benintendi slashed .263/.328/.502 in 60 games.
Benintendi finished with 20 home runs, matching a career-high. He ended 2024 with a .229 batting average after it was at .199 on July 30.
“(Benintendi) was tremendous the last two months of the season, if not more than that,” Getz said. “We made an adjustment in the swing with his lower half closer to the ground, and (he) was driving balls to the pull-side on a regular basis.
“It was really astonishing what he was able to accomplish.”
The Sox will look for more in 2025.
3. What strides will Dominic Fletcher make offensively?
Whether he was crashing into the center-field wall while robbing a home run like in Milwaukee or twisting, turning and then making a sensational grab in right field like in Houston, Dominic Fletcher showed what he could do defensively.
“We were happy with the defense Fletch brought in right field,” Getz said. “Now that being said, we’re hoping to gain a little bit more offense in his game as well. Just to make him a little bit more well-rounded.”
Fletcher slashed .206/.252/.256 with one home run and 17 RBIs in 72 games during his first season with the Sox after being acquired in a February trade with Arizona.
“When you have a Fletch in right field, Robert in center field and a healthy Benintendi in left field, they can do some positive things,” Getz said.
The Sox recently added another outfield option, signing Austin Slater to a one-year deal. Slater had a .209/.321/.266 slash line with two home runs and 18 RBI in 84 combined games with the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles in 2024.
“It was a pretty disappointing season, but I think there are silver linings,” Slater said in a recent video conference call. “My play improved at the end of the season after making some adjustments. And getting traded twice, even though it kind of uproots your personal life and can be stressful in that sense, it means that there are teams out there that want you.
“I’m taking away those silver linings.”
