The Blue Jays are reportedly trading outfielder Will Robertson to the White Sox. The move, which has not been announced by either team, was first reported by @JeffreyCole2525 and confirmed by James Fegan of SoxMachine. Toronto designated Robertson for assignment over the weekend.
Chicago already has an opening on the 40-man roster after outrighting Vinny Capra. They’ll use the spot to take a flier on Robertson, a 27-year-old with three major league games under his belt. The Jays promoted the lefty-hitting outfielder in the middle of June. He was optioned back to Triple-A a little over a week later and DFA last week when Ryan Burr returned from the 60-day injured list.
A Creighton product, Robertson was Toronto’s fourth-round pick in 2019. He has never been a huge prospect, but he’s hitting well in his second season at the Triple-A level. Robertson has connected on 14 homers with a .292/.403/.578 slash line in 62 minor league games this year. He has taken walks at a massive 15.5% clip while striking out around a quarter of the time. The Jays have a fairly deep outfield and didn’t give Robertson an opportunity to see how much of that Triple-A production he could carry over against big league pitching. He has a bit of center field experience but fits better in a corner.
The White Sox could look to trade Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman this month. Backup outfielders Austin Slater and Michael A. Taylor could also be traded or let go. They should be able to find a taker for Tauchman, who has taken the starting right field job behind a .297/.379/.459 showing. Robertson might begin his organizational tenure on optional assignment to Triple-A Charlotte but should be in line for decent playing time after the deadline.