CHICAGO – Luis Robert will be promoted to Triple-A Charlotte after he competes in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, as announced by White Sox general manager Rick Hahn prior to Saturday’s contest against the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field.

• SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game: Sunday, 6 p.m. CT on MLB Network

The No. 5 prospect overall, per MLB Pipeline, already has competed in, and somewhat conquered, stints at Class A Advanced Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham this season. Over 153 career Minor League games since joining the White Sox, Robert is slashing .317/.395/.522, with 40 doubles, 10 triples, 19 home runs, 84 RBIs, 112 runs scored and 56 stolen bases.

Those numbers have a Major League-ready feel even before the 21-year-old outfielder takes on his next 2019 challenge.

“In terms of what that means for his future or larger questions about his timeline to Chicago, quite frankly it’s premature to really speculate along those lines,” Hahn said. “As you’ve heard me say going back to Spring Training when asked about Luis and this season, the two primary goals for him were really, one, get him through the season healthy, and two, ideally at age 21, acclimate himself well in the Double-A Southern League and perform well at that level.

“Knock on wood, the first part has held true so far, and for the second, we feel like he has done a great job so far this year. He’s ready for that next challenge.”

Hahn has raved about Robert’s assimilation and acclimation into life both on and off the baseball diamond after coming over from Cuba, despite the language barrier. Second baseman Nick Madrigal, who played with Robert at Birmingham and will play with him in the Futures Game, notices a player who has opened up and is having more fun.

“It's pretty incredible to see. Whether it's on the basepaths, in the outfield, at the plate, you just see how special a player he is,” Madrigal said. “It seems like one at-bat will go by and he'll look fooled at the plate, and the next one he'll be on every single pitch.

“He makes adjustments on the fly. And it's fun hitting behind him, it seems like he's always on base with a chance for him to score every time I'm up. It's been great to play with him.”

Robert has fanned 149 times in his career against 51 walks. And while the White Sox don’t want Robert changing his approach, the time in Charlotte could help him refine what he’s doing.

“He’s a dangerous hitter both in and slightly outside of the zone, so we are not expecting him to radically change anything he’s done,” Hahn said. “But the more advanced pitchers might challenge him a different way, and that will be good for him. Having him with an at-bat to at-bat plan will benefit him in the long run.”

Lopez staying put

Reynaldo López will be part of the White Sox second-half rotation despite closing the first half with the highest ERA among all MLB qualifying pitchers. Hahn on Saturday reaffirmed the point made by manager Rick Renteria following Thursday’s loss.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say anyone has a scholarship indefinitely up here, or that they are never going to get optioned if struggles continue or for something we feel is better addressed in a lower-stress environment or with a little bit of a change in their approach,” Hahn said. “But for now, he’s going to remain part of our rotation heading into the second half.”

Third to first

• Renteria said the second-half rotation is still being talked about. The White Sox have a 10-game road trip after the All-Star break, visiting Oakland, Kansas City and Tampa Bay.

• Dylan Cease will not pitch in either of the two weekend games against the Cubs, per Renteria, despite the whole team getting four days off after Sunday. Cease made his Major League debut Wednesday and picked up his first win.

• Despite having three stitches in his right hand, Yolmer Sanchez said there’s no problem swinging the bat or throwing after getting his hand stepped on by Detroit first baseman Niko Goodrum during a pickoff attempt in Thursday’s loss. Sanchez left that game.

He said it

“At the end of the day, playing a lot of good clubs, you've got to learn from competing against those guys what it's going to take to put yourselves in a good position. They're doing that. Their performance to this point speaks for itself.” -- Renteria