CHICAGO (AP) — White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is back in the starting lineup after being sidelined by a sprained right pinky finger.
Robert got hurt on a slide into third base during Wednesday's 9-2 victory over the New York Yankees. He served as a pinch runner in the 10th inning of Friday night's 7-6 loss to Milwaukee, but Tuesday's game at Wrigley Field against the crosstown Cubs was his first start since the injury.
The All-Star slugger said he isn't 100 percent, but he thinks he can play.
“I said it before, my goal this year is to play as many games as I can,” Robert said through a translator. “I won’t let any minor issues or soreness or stuff keep me out of the field. I’m going to do everything in my power to play every day and have a strong finish to the season. That’s my goal, to try to be able to finish this season strong and if I have to get extra treatment before the game to be able to play, I’ll do it because that’s my goal.”
While Robert was back in the lineup, the White Sox scratched shortstop Tim Anderson because of neck stiffness. Elvis Andrus moved from second base to shortstop, and Zach Remillard was inserted at second.
Anderson was suspended by Major League Baseball for six games for his role in a fight with Cleveland slugger José Ramírez, but he is appealing the punishment.
The 26-year-old Robert has been a bright spot during a difficult season for the White Sox. He was batting .271 with 31 homers, 65 RBIs and 16 steals heading into the series against the Cubs.
“He’s been craving to get back in," manager Pedro Grifol said. “It was just the right thing to do not to push this thing and all of a sudden turn it into a two-week stint as opposed to three, four days. He’s still going to go out there and he’s going to feel it a little bit, he won’t be 100 percent.”
The White Sox also announced Tuesday that they had agreed to a minor league contract with outfielder Travis Swaggerty. The 25-year-old Swaggerty, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft, hit .195 in 22 minor league games this year before he was released by Pittsburgh last month.
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