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CHICAGO -- The White Sox have exercised their $20 million option on center fielder Luis Robert Jr.'s for the 2026 season, the team announced Tuesday. Chicago and left-handed pitcher Martin Perez have also declined their $10-million mutual option for next season. Perez will receive a $1.5-million buyout before becoming a free agent. Robert, 27, hit .223 with 14 home runs and 33 stolen bases last season while playing in 110 games. The oft-injured veteran hasn't produced at a high level over the last two years but continues to possess an elite skill set. His biggest improvement came in reducing his strikeout totals. He had 172 in 2023. That fell to 141 in 2024 and just 112 last season. While the strikeouts have gone down -- he is chasing fewer bad pitches -- so have his home runs. After hitting 38 in 2023, he has combined for just 28 over the past two seasons. Robert has been the subject of trade rumors since the White Sox began an extended rebuild at the beginning of 2024, but the team has held out for a high return, citing his past success. He had an .857 OPS in 2023 after playing in a career-high 145 games that season. He just hasn't been able to repeat those numbers, limiting the offers the White Sox have received to this point. He had an OPS of .657 in 2024 and .661 in 2025. Robert's six-year, $50 million contract ran out at the end of this season. The team has another $20 million option on him for 2027 as well. Perez, 34, went 1-6 with a 3.54 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 11 games (10 starts) last season, his first with the White Sox after agreeing to a one-year deal for 2025, which also included the mutual option for 2026. He missed four months of the season with left elbow inflammation.
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