With trade deadline days away, Luis Robert Jr. out of White Sox’ lineup with sore adductor

The Luis Robert Jr. trade-deadline saga took another turn Friday.

The White Sox center fielder — perhaps their biggest trade chip ahead of the deadline Thursday and certainly the one of greatest fan interest — was out of the starting lineup, sitting with a sore adductor muscle that manager Will Venable said stemmed from a steal of second base late in the win over the Rays on Wednesday.

Venable was hopeful Robert would return to the lineup Saturday.

“We’re just being cautious,” Venable said, “don’t want to push him too much here. He’s day-to-day.”

Whether this ends up being anything more than a blip, it comes at a critical time for Robert and the Sox, who figure to be seeking to get something — anything — in exchange for the former All-Star in the middle of a woeful season.

He carried a .206 batting average and only 10 home runs into the weekend series against the Cubs, numbers that pale in comparison to what was once expected of Robert, who was pegged as a franchise cornerstone during the previous rebuilding project on the South Side.

Those sky-high expectations — and the big numbers he put up to earn a Silver Slugger in 2023 — made his $20 million club option for the 2026 season seem like a relative steal. But Robert has hit poorly the last two seasons, with a combined .216/.285/.364 slash line across 184 games in 2024 and 2025, making the price tag on that option seem much too high, particularly with the Sox in the thick of another rebuild.

And so, it’s assumed general manager Chris Getz will try to get whatever he can for Robert before the deadline.

That mission appeared boosted by Robert’s recent surge at the plate. In his last 13 games, he’s batting .341 with three homers and a 1.011 OPS.

Any leap in offensive production would pair well with Robert’s strong defense and 26 stolen bases as Getz tries to find a deal.

But any health-related concerns might throw a wrench into those efforts.

Time will tell. With Robert’s slump approaching the two-year mark, it might have been tricky for the Sox to recoup anything close to equal the value once attached to someone who was described as a “six-tool player.”

Now, perhaps a midsummer ailment could make finding a suitable pact even more difficult.

On the mend, on the mound

Injured Sox starting pitcher Shane Smith will be back on the mound Saturday for the latest step in his rehab from a sprained ankle.

Smith is set to throw live batting practice, which Venable described as “a big checkpoint.” The Sox will determine what comes next depending on how that session goes.

“Shane’s doing good,” Venable said. “He’s got to go out there and get through his three ups. Hopefully it looks good, he feels good and we can progress and see what that looks like.”

Smith hit the injured list last weekend after hurting himself while running during a team workout. At the time, he wasn’t expected to miss more than the 15 days of his stay on the injured list.

After a stellar 2.37 ERA in his first 13 major-league starts to earn a trip to the All-Star Game, Smith has an 11.29 ERA in his last five outings.