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Column: Could Luis Robert be the first White Sox superstar of the TikTok era? Much like Frank Thomas’ call up, this is the start of a new era on the South Side.

Thirty years ago this week, the Chicago White Sox made the bold move of promoting Frank Thomas from Double-A Birmingham and inserting him in the middle of the lineup at the start of their playoff push.

It was a much different era, of course. The Sox didn’t have to worry about delaying Thomas’ debut to 1991 so they could get an extra year of his services before he became eligible for free agency.

All that mattered were three things: the Sox were 3½ games behind the Oakland A’s in the American League West; they needed another bat in the lineup to have a realistic chance to win the division; and Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was always in “go-for-it” mode at the time.