CHICAGO -- Before Luis Robert Jr. and Miguel Vargas went against each other Friday at Rate Field, for the Mets and White Sox, respectively, they had dinner at a Chicago steakhouse Thursday night.
“He’s my brother,” Vargas said of Robert. “Besides baseball, he’s my brother personally. What he means to me and the impact he’s had on my life has been amazing.”
Vargas and Robert have known each other since they were teenagers in Cuba. Robert was the first person to welcome Vargas via text when he was traded from the Dodgers to the White Sox in 2024 and supported him through a tough ensuing season when the White Sox lost 121 and Vargas produced a .104 average with a .387 OPS over 157 plate appearances.
The times have definitely changed. Vargas is an All-Star and an on-field and clubhouse leader for the team sitting atop the American League Central. He entered Friday’s series opener with 28 home runs and 72 RBIs, all while playing stellar defense at third base.
Robert, 29, played six seasons for the White Sox and returned to Rate Field for the first time as a visiting player. He was traded to the Mets on Jan. 20 in exchange for infielder/outfielder Luisangel Acuña and Minor League right-hander Truman Pauley.
During his 577 games and 2,375 plate appearances with the White Sox, Robert had a .767 OPS with 102 home runs and 102 stolen bases. He was an All-Star and Silver Slugger in 2023, when Robert put together one of the most complete seasons in franchise history, and won a Gold Glove in '20, when Robert finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting.
But the five-tool talent just couldn’t stay healthy consistently, as he has talked about many times and as he’s dealt with again as part of the Mets.
“This season has been pretty similar to how other parts of my career have gone where I've been hurt, where I've been off the field,” Robert said through interpreter Alan Suriel, who also once worked for the White Sox. “Right now the most important thing for me is to finish the season strong and just go out there and just try to be the best version of myself."
“We talk about that all the time,” Vargas said of Robert’s health. “I feel very sad and I know how hard it is for him dealing with all the injuries. I think we all know how good he is when he stays on the field. I feel like we could have seen one of the greatest baseball players on the field if he stayed healthy.”
White Sox manager Will Venable enjoyed dealing with Robert during the ‘25 season they were together, with Robert topping 100 games played for just the third time in his career, although he debuted and excelled in the COVID-shortened campaign. Robert praised Venable for instilling confidence in him and his teammates, telling them to play hard and have fun.
As to what White Sox fans’ reaction will be to him, Robert smiled before offering up a guess.
“I don't know. I think it's going to be a good reaction, but I just really don't know,” Robert said. “But I hope it's a good one."
“So I don't know what the perception was coming in,” Venable said. “I just knew he was a really good player and was excited to get to know him as a person, and he's a great guy.”
Many text exchanges continue going back and forth between Vargas and Robert, who paid for dinner on Thursday. Robert is happy for the success found by his friend and the White Sox but not surprised by either one.
Venable and Vargas think the outfielder would fit well in this current version of the team, and they gave Robert credit for his leadership in helping the team develop after the 2025 All-Star break. There’s happiness for Robert upon his return to Chicago, where he originally was signed as an international free agent at 19. There’s also a strange feeling being at Rate Field with another team.
“100 percent, he would enjoy the kind of team we have right now in here,” Vargas said.
“Obviously I'm not with the team anymore, but this is a team that I was with a long time, and it will always have a special place in my heart,” Robert said. “I keep tabs on the results on the games, and I'm really proud to see how they've been performing this season."