Luis Robert’s latest comments won’t help quell concerns over a potential culture issue within the White Sox’s clubhouse.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Robert said he didn’t feel like he was a leader on the team.
“I don’t see myself as a leader. 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,” said Robert, via Vinnie Duber.
He was then asked if he thought the White Sox had any leaders, to which he responded, “I don’t know.”
Earlier this month, former White Sox pitcher Keynan Middleton alleged the team had a “no-rules” culture in which players were not policed or held accountable. Veteran right-hander Lance Lynn, who was traded to the Dodgers at the trade deadline after three seasons in Chicago, didn’t disagree with Middleton’s assessment.
The White Sox are one of MLB’s most underperforming teams in 2023, currently sitting in fourth place in the AL Central at 47-72. Only three teams in MLB have worse records than Chicago; the Royals, Athletics and Rockies.
Having jettisoned many of their veteran players at the trade deadline, it seems even players on the White Sox are unsure whom they’d consider to be a leader on the team.
Robert is in his fourth MLB season and was named to his first All-Star Game this season. Despite his strong campaign, the 26-year-old expressed he doesn’t feel like a leader, a role it seems no one within the clubhouse has stepped into.
