Aside from leading with his play on the field — and he’s done it superbly as the best player on the White Sox this season — Luis Robert Jr. doesn’t view himself as leadership material in the clubhouse.
At least not now. Perhaps it will take time, as Robert is experiencing his first full season as one of the game’s top players. And while manager Pedro Grifol has aptly identified Robert’s determination to play 150 games this season as leadership material, Robert must view leadership as more than that.
“I don’t see myself as a leader,” Robert said through translator Billy Russo Tuesday. “I try to do my job and be on the field and do the things that we should all push to do and maybe be an example for others, but I don’t see myself as a leader.”
In any case, there is a definite opening on the roster after veterans Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Kendall Graveman and Joe Kelly were traded. It figures to be something the front addresses in the off season.
Asked if there are leaders on the Sox now, Robert said, “I don’t know.” So there’s an opening for the job.
Grifol views accomplished veteran infielder Elvis Andrus as a leader. But Andrus, 35, is not expected to return next season.
“He’s obviously been in the game a long time, he knows the game, he knows leadership,” Grifol said. “But he’s got a lot of energy, he brings a lot of energy to this clubhouse every single night and to this dugout. He’s been in this game a long time and he knows the window of this game sometimes can be small and he appreciates and cherishes every day he comes out here and puts on a uniform. That’s good for our guys to see.”
Robert returned to the starting lineup after missing three starts with a sprained right pinky finger, the result of a head-first slide against the Yankees last Wednesday.
“I’m not 100 percent but I think I can play,” Robert said before the game.
Robert said gripping the bat “feels good.”
“With the heat of the game, everything’s going to go well,” he said. “I don’t think I’m going to have any problems.”
Robert will wear mitts now on both hands, not just one.
He played in his team-leading 114th game Tuesday.
Anderson scratched with stiff neck
Shortstop Tim Anderson was a late scratch with neck stiffness, moving Andrus to shortstop and into the leadoff spot. Zach Remillard played second base.
Anderson is still waiting on a decision after he appealed his six-game suspension for fighting Jose Ramirez on Aug. 5 in Cleveland. He is declining interviews until after a decision comes from Major League Baseball.
Appeals must be heard within 10 days of the date of the appeal. There is no timeline for a decision thereafter.
Anderson is 3-for-20 in his last six games.
Sox add some Swag to farm system
Outfielder Travis Swaggerty, a former first-round draft pick and top-100 prospect who was designated for assignment by the Pirates, signed a minor-league deal. Swaggerty, 25, dealt with injuries and hit .195/.319/.364 with one home run at two Class A levels and Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pittsburgh organization before being released July 17. He was 1-for-9 in a brief major league stint.