CHICAGO -- The journey of this dismal 2024 White Sox season could be illustrated, in part, by the moves made by the organization prior to Tuesday¡¯s 7-6 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The defeat marked a 12th straight setback for the White Sox, tied for the second-longest losing streak in franchise history, and their 16th loss in 17 games.

Luis Robert Jr. returned from his injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Charlotte and was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. But as Robert saw his first action since April 5, fellow outfielder Tommy Pham was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain.

¡°It seems like it¡¯s been happening all year. We¡¯ve just got to keep going. No excuses,¡± White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. ¡°I know we¡¯re not playing great baseball, our record is not where we want it to be, but the one thing I know for sure is these guys have never had an excuse for not winning games, and I will never have one either.

¡°Injuries are a part of the game. It tests the resources of an organization, it creates opportunities for guys that might not have the opportunity. There¡¯s a hell of a lot of opportunities here for guys that are here now to become Major Leaguers and to show this industry that they can play at this level.¡±

Robert was placed on the injured list on April 6 with a right hip flexor strain suffered on April 5 while rounding first base in the ninth inning of a game at Kansas City. The original prognosis for the 2023 All-Star¡¯s absence was longer than the two months he missed, but the two months were still too long for Robert.

Although Robert was slashing .214/.241/.500 with two home runs, two doubles, four RBIs and three runs in seven games this season prior to the injury, he¡¯s one year removed from his first Silver Slugger-worthy campaign when he knocked out 38 homers with 75 extra-base hits and 80 RBIs. Robert won¡¯t play every day at the outset as he gets his legs under him and gets his timing back in big league games.

In Tuesday¡¯s loss, which dropped the White Sox to 5-25 on the road, Robert had two hits, including a Statcast-projected 448-foot home run to put the White Sox ahead, 6-5, in the seventh.

¡°I laid off the first pitch, just trying to see what he was throwing, and then I was aggressive on the second one and able to hit the ball hard,¡± Robert said of his homer against Hayden Wesneski, through interpreter Billy Russo. ¡°I finished the game healthy. That¡¯s what¡¯s most important. The other stuff ¡­ I¡¯ll take day by day.¡±

Duke Ellis, the White Sox prospect with 34 stolen bases in 35 attempts in 2024, was added from Double-A Birmingham, while Zach DeLoach (Chicago's No. 29-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline) returned from Charlotte to replace Pham and Dominic Fletcher (left shoulder strain). So it will be a couple of weeks before Robert, Pham and Andrew Benintendi work in the same White Sox outfield, with two-thirds of that crew out of action.

¡°As I¡¯ve always said, it has been a misfortune for us with injuries,¡± Robert said. ¡°Every season, we¡¯ve been dealing with injuries to key players. We¡¯ve been trying to get over that, but we haven¡¯t found the answer. It¡¯s something that we have to deal with and keep moving forward.

¡°When my injury happened, I was doing everything right. I was being very diligent with my preparation and everything, and something happened. You can¡¯t control it. I don¡¯t know how the situation is for the other guys, but in my case, I was doing everything that I was supposed to do.¡±