CLEVELAND — White Sox center fielder Luis Robert was removed from the team’s 6-3 loss to the Guardians Thursday afternoon with a minor right groin strain sustained while running out a ground ball in the eighth inning.
Manager Tony La Russa said it was possible Robert will land on the injured list.
“He’s got a little minor groin strain,” La Russa said. “Might mean some IL time. But [trainer James] Kruk said it’s something that should heal quickly.”
Robert said it was too soon to know how long he might be out.
Adam Haseley moved from left field to center to take Robert’s spot, and Danny Mendick entered the game in left in the bottom of the inning.
Robert snapped an 0-for-21 slump by lining a 400-foot double off the top of the left-center field wall in the fourth inning and singled in the sixth. He was caught stealing after the base hit.
“I was feeling more comfortable at home plate and now this thing happened,” Robert said through translator Billy Russo said. “There’s still plenty of season to go.”
The Indians (7-5) completed a three-game sweep of the Sox (6-6), who have lost four straight after a 6-2 start.
Franmil Reyes homered against Dylan Cease, producing two of the four runs scored against the Sox starter. The Sox runs came on Yasmani Grandal’s sacrifice fly and a pair of Guardians errors in the seventh that pulled the Sox within 4-3 in the seventh.
The Guardians responded with two runs against Kendall Graveman in the bottom of the seventh.
Robert was on the injured list in 2021 from May 3 through Aug. 9 with a torn hip flexor, an injury sustained while running out a ground ball.
The Sox have been slammed with injuries this season, a list that includes pitchers Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Garrett Crochet and Ryan Burr and position players Yoan Moncada, AJ Pollock, Josh Harrison and Eloy Jimenez.
Pollock (hamstring), an outfielder, is expected to rejoin the team Friday in Minneapolis. Giolito is expected to pitch Sunday after missing two starts. Harrison and Jimenez have dealt with minor injuries and are not on the IL.
“No matter what our focus has to be what is next and trying to keep moving forward,” Robert said. “It’s difficult. We have some teammates down but we have to keep pushing. There is no other way around it.”
The Sox lost their third in a row to the Guardians and fourth in a row overall.
