Pregame notes: Luis Robert Jr. returns to South Side

These pregame notes aren't late; they just anticipated rain pushing back the start time by 20 minutes.

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Luis Robert Jr. returns to Rate Field wearing unfamiliar colors, and playing an unfamiliar position.

Robert is in the starting lineup for the Mets, batting sixth and playing left field instead of center, which is (Ryan Galanie workout buddy) A.J. Ewing's position now. Robert's sprint speed is still in the upper echelon -- 91st percentile this season -- but there isn't evidence that he's been able to use it all that well, as he's 2-for-5 in basestealing after going 33-for-41 with the White Sox in 2025.

When Robert was last healthy in Chicago, the younger Sox talked about how much fun it was to play with him, especially when he was near the height of his powers. Will Venable maintained that stance when asked by reporters whether Robert would be a fit in the current White Sox dugout.

"I think if you think about what I view as like the real core of our team and the identity of our team, he helped build that, so I think he would fit right in," Venable said. "Obviously we've seen him fit in with these same guys in the clubhouse, the way that he plays, he really would have been one of the leaders in that. And I thought it was a big part of help developing that kind of culture and kind of identity of us going out there and running hard and playing hard."

Robert passed on opportunities to speak to Chicago media when he visited the Cubs earlier this season, but he kinda has to at Rate Field, and so he did.

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With the Mets starting a lefty in Sean Manaea, Venable used the opportunity to get Braden Montgomery and Sam Antonacci days off. It gets pretty hairy after the fourth spot, but Venable will have a full complement of pinch hitters at his disposal.

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It's Players' Weekend, which is a far more muted affair in comparison to when they wore entirely different uniforms bearing nicknames that were extremely uncreative, impossible to parse, or a foreign phrase that might sound like an insult if I tried saying it. But there are still personal touches.

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First Pitch: White Sox vs. Mets

TV: CHSN

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