With 30+ home runs and doubles, Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. keeps building on career highs

Luis Robert Jr. ripped a Clarke Schmidt sweeper to left field during the fourth inning Tuesday against the New York Yankees.

The ball got over the wall for the Chicago White Sox center fielder’s 31st homer of the season.

The night before at Guaranteed Rate Field, Robert drove in two runs with an eight-inning double to right. It was his 30th double of the season.

Robert is the 10th player in Sox history with at least 30 doubles and 30 home runs in the same season. It’s a feat that’s happened 27 times in franchise history.

He entered Wednesday needing six more stolen bases to join Magglio Ordóñez (2001) as the only players in Sox history with at least 30 homers and doubles and 20 steals in the same season.

“I would like to steal 20,” Robert said through an interpreter after Tuesday’s game, “but actually the real goal, the real number is 30. We’ll see if I’m able to do it.”

Robert singled, then stole second and third in the third inning Wednesday before exiting the game in the fourth inning with a sprained pinkie finger on his right hand. X-rays were negative and he is listed asday-to-day.

The injury occurred sliding into third base.

“He had to alter his (headfirst) slide a little bit (at third base),” Grifol said after the 9-2 win. “He should be in the lineup Friday (for the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers) and if he’s not it will probably be on Saturday.”

The Sox had a big offensive night regardless, getting a two-run homer by Oscar Colás and a three-run double by Elvis Andrus on the way to taking two of three in the series. Mike Clevinger allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts and three walks in six innings while Aaron Bummer got a strikeout and double play after entering in a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh.

Robert has been a bright spot for the Sox in a disastrous season. The team’s lone All-Star this year, he already has reached career highs in home runs, RBIs (65) and doubles.

His 31 homers are the most for a Sox center fielder in a single season and the most for any Sox outfielder since Jermaine Dye hit 34 in 2008.

“Of course, those numbers mean something,” Robert said. “You know, all those individual numbers mean something for you. Even though this is a team, it’s what you do that makes you help the team. It means good. It means you are doing good.”

Sox manager Pedro Grifol wants Robert to look beyond specific numbers.

“I don’t have markers for Luis,” Grifol said Wednesday. “With that type of talent you don’t set any goals, you just play. Go out there and learn every day, and focus on the things you need to focus on, which is the strike zone. And you don’t set any type of goals. What I’ve learned through the years with potential superstars like him, you don’t want to cap them out.

“The most important thing for me is continue to learn, go out and play as hard as you can and don’t worry about numbers, hitting 30 or 40. Just because complacency can set in if you wanted 30. Now you’ve got 30, now what? Is the urgency there as it was to hit 30? Let the goal be ‘I’m going to get better every single day.’”

Grifol said that starts with the strike zone.

“When he’s in the strike zone, he’s as dangerous as anybody in the game,” Grifol said. “If he’s not in the strike zone, he’s not. That’s something we have to continue to work on and he has to not worry about any markers, just go play.”

Robert has also played in a career-high 112 games. He’s aiming for at least 150.

“The most important (thing) for me and I think the key for me this year has been that I’ve been able to be on the field and play every day,” Robert said. “That’s my goal. I know if I’m able to be on the field, I can perform and do what I know I can do. The results are there.

“I’ve been able to be there almost every day and been able to have a good season.”

That’s a goal Grifol is behind.

“That to me is a great goal,” Grifol said. “Because we know as a staff and organization if we have him on the field 150 games we’re going to get pretty damn good production. And you can’t just be on the field 150 games talking about it. You have to eat right, sleep right, you have to work, get in the weight room, respect the game, respect your body.

“And he’s doing all of the above. That’s why he’s on the field every day. You can’t burn the candles at both ends and think you’re going to have success. So he’s committed to this, to 150 games — or more. That’s a great goal because there’s a lot of things attached to that goal. Respecting the game and character and winning and becoming a champion is what this is about. That’s the mentality and when you’re talking about leadership, that’s what leadership is about. Expecting yourself to go out there for 150 games, that’s leadership.”

The impact of Wednesday’s injury remains to be seen.

When he returns, Grifol said Robert will be wearing those oven mitt-style sliding gloves on both hands while on the bases. He wore one on the left hand but not the right Wednesday.

“We have the resources to prevent these kind of things,” Grifol said. “You’ll see him on base and see the two mitts on and go steal some bases.”

Robert said trying to help his team win will continue to drive him in these final two months of the season.

“Try to win as many games as we can and try to finish the season strong and find something in these two months we can carry over for next season,” Robert said.

“Each one of us has to take care of what we need to do to win games. If you prepare yourself to go out and win games, that’s all you want. That’s what we are trying to do.”