Chicago White Sox place Luis Robert on DL with blurred vision, reinstate C Yasmani Grandal

Luis Robert’s stellar defensive play in center field as a rookie during the 2020 season earned him a American League Gold Glove Award.

So it was unusual to see Robert having trouble tracking down a couple of fly balls last week in games against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

In the first entry July 15, Robert played the line of Carlos Correa in a jump, and the ball passed him. Correa was credited with a single and advanced to second on an error by Robert.

Robert caught José Miranda’s fly ball to end the first, but then came out of the game in a daze. He did not play in the last two games before the All-Star break.

The Red Sox placed Robert on the injured list retroactive to Tuesday with blurred vision on Friday. They also reinstated Yasmani Grandal from the IL after the receiver missed more than a month with lower back spasms.

Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Robert was affected more in the field than at the plate.

“We have been through a handful of tests in Minnesota and Chicago and at this point his symptoms have not fully resolved and as a result we will be placing him on the disabled list,” Hahn said Friday before the opening of a hearing. four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“That will make him eligible to return (July 29), a week later (Friday) when we go home against Oakland. At this time, we are cautiously optimistic that he will be able to return at that time. I don’t have all the information exactly on the timeline, but that’s very tentatively what we’re looking at right now.”

Hahn declined to speculate when asked about the root cause of Robert’s condition.

“All I can tell you is that I am not sitting on any information at this time nor am I keeping anything from you,” he said. “He is seeing the right people, getting the right tests.

“Part of the reason he’s going on the disabled list is that it’s more than seven days off and we have to get a guy back on track prudently when that happens. Ideally, his symptoms completely resolve in the next few days, we reactivate him, and he’ll be back when we start the next stay home.”

Robert is hitting .301/.334/.461 with 13 doubles, 12 home runs, 54 RBIs, 48 ​​runs scored and 11 stolen bases in 74 games. He leads the team in home runs, RBI, and stolen bases.

“The most important thing is that you always be worried because, first of all, it’s health and then baseball,” Red Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “Keep your fingers crossed and more for him personally than professionally.”

Grandal returned after being out since June 12. He is slashing .185/.294/.237 with three doubles, two home runs, 15 RBIs and 27 walks in 50 games. He appeared in nine rehab games with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, going 9-for-25 (.360) with two home runs, five RBIs, 13 walks and five runs.

“It looks great,” La Russa said. “I talked to people in Charlotte. They say that they were really impressed with his whole game. Then we can use your momentum.

The Sox have three catchers on the roster in Grandal, Seby Zavala and Reese McGuire.

“We are delighted to have (Grandal) back,” Hahn said. “We’ve seen when he’s right what he can do for us both in terms of the offensive presence and the balance of the lineup that he provides, the skill on base and the power and the work that he’s done with our pitching staff over the course of time. from the last couple of seasons.

“We are delighted to have him back. We’re in a really nice situation and we’ve got two other guys in Reese and Seby who have done a really good job for us. With the doubleheader (Saturday) and days off around (Thursday) and the other side of this series (Monday) and the other side of Colorado (Thursday), it gives us a little bit of time to figure out the break-even point for the roster. ”.

Eloy Jimenez returned to the lineup Friday as designated hitter after missing the final four games before halftime with tightness in the right leg. The left fielder left a July 13 game after making a running catch.

“You might see him on the field this weekend,” Hahn said. “Let’s see how things go. Having the All-Star break and the guys scattering when they come back and we test their strength, mobility and speed gives us a sense of where they’re at. But until we see it in games, it’s a bit of conjecture. It is possible that he will be in the field during the course of this weekend.

“We just happen to go to the biggest field in all of baseball from here, so I don’t know how much you’re going to see it in Colorado. But he’s certainly progressed to the point where you see him in the lineup (Friday), and I look forward to seeing him on the field in the next week or so.”

Reliever Aaron Bummer continues to recover of a left lat tension. The left-hander went on the disabled list on June 9.

Hahn said Bummer isn’t throwing off the mound but playing catch.

“It’s starting to make progress and we plan to come back at some point, but that’s not guaranteed,” Hahn said.

Sox minor league outfielder Terrell Tatum has been given a 50-game unpaid suspension after testing positive for amphetamine, a stimulant that violates the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, Major League Baseball announced. .

Tatum, a 16th-round pick in 2021, is slashing .267/.405/.415 with three home runs and 21 RBIs in 42 games between Class A Kannapolis (10 games) and Class A Winston-Salem ( 32 games).