After a nagging left thumb cost him most of the 2018 regular season, Luis Robert is doing his best to make up for lost time. The fourth-ranked White Sox prospect extended his Arizona Fall League hitting streak to 14 games on Friday, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored,
After a nagging left thumb cost him most of the 2018 regular season, Luis Robert is doing his best to make up for lost time.
The fourth-ranked White Sox prospect extended his Arizona Fall League hitting streak to 14 games on Friday, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, as Glendale squeaked by Scottsdale, 6-5, at Camelback Ranch.
Gameday box score
The thumb injury cost Robert the first two months of the season before he debuted with Class A Kannapolis, where he hit .289 in 13 games to earn a promotion to Class A Advanced Winston-Salem. But the thumb flared up again 10 days after the move, and the Cuba native was sidelined roughly six weeks before returning on Aug. 7. He finished with a .244/.317/.309 slash line in 32 Carolina League contests.
Robert is taking care of the AFL opportunity, though. He led off the second inning Friday against Astros No. 2 prospectForrest Whitley and reached on an infield single. An inning later, the 21-year-old fouled off three pitches before smacking an RBI double to right field on a 1-2 pitch from the right-hander.
Astros righty Erasmo Pinales fanned Robert on three pitches in the sixth, but MLB.com's No. 44 overall prospect responded with a single through the left side in the eighth off right-hander and Giants No. 19 prospect Melvin Adon. Robert has recorded a hit in all 14 AFL games he's played, including seven multi-hit efforts. He's batting .386/.435/.526 with two homers, 10 RBIs and three stolen bases, putting his 65-grade speed to use.
Indians No. 6 prospectYu Chang plated Robert with a sacrifice fly in the second and drove in Orioles infielder Steve Wilkerson and Robert again with a single to left in the third.
Reds No. 2 prospectTaylor Trammell singled and walked three times for Scottsdale to raise his on-base percentage to .338. The No. 17 overall prospect also recorded an outfield assist in the eighth when he threw out Robert at the plate following second-ranked Yankees propsectEstevan Florial's run-scoring single.
In other AFL action
Solar Sox 5, Rafters 4
In the back-and-forth contest, No. 9 hitter Bryson Brigman came up big for Salt River. The Marlins infield prospect worked a bases-loaded walk in the second, then knocked a game-tying single in the top of the ninth. Nationals prospects Daniel Johnson and Carter Kieboom and D-backs prospects Pavin Smith and Drew Ellis also plated runs in the loss. A's prospects Eli White and Skye Bolt kept Mesa in the game with RBIs, while Tigers No. 8 prospect Daz Cameron delivered a walk-off single in ninth. Gameday box score
Javelinas 4, Saguaros 2
Padres No. 23 prospectHudson Potts broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning with an RBI single, scoring Mariners No. 2 prospectEvan White. Braves slugger Braxton Davidson broke it open in the eighth with a two-run single before 13th-ranked Padres prospect Buddy Reed delivered an RBI double. White finished with a single, a pair of walks and two runs scored. Mariners No. 28 prospect Anthony Misiewicz turned in four scoreless frames for Peoria, yielding two hits and striking out four. Cardinals left-hander Evan Kruczynski and Royals right-hander Arnaldo Hernandez held Peoria to one hit over the first five innings. Kruczynski walked two and punched out three, while Hernandez struck out the side in his lone frame. Surprise avoided a shutout in the ninth on back-to-back RBI singles by Rangers infielder Yanio Perez and Pirates No. 16 prospectWill Craig. Gameday box score
