Reps are exactly what this prospect needed to wake up in the 2024 season.
When Tyler O’Neill went on the IL with a concussion on April 18th (retroactive to April 16th), a collective groan could be heard across New England, from the forests of Maine to the shoreline of Connecticut (if we count any corner of Connecticut a part of the region). The Red Sox were down ANOTHER top producer. At the time, O’Neill not only led the team in homers, but the entire Majors, with seven. Tied with a resurgent Mike Trout. This opened up a giant hole in the outfield, one we knew who it would be filled with (unlike shortstop) but one that based on 2024 season performance wasn’t exactly thrilling.
Wilyer Abreu got off to a wickedly slow start to the season, and that’s saying something akin to the likes of Bobby Dalbec this time around. Entering April 16th, Abreu was batting .188 in 11 appearances—which, yes, isn’t full starting time, but look at what Rob Refsnyder has done off the bench. It had been said multiple times already by Alex Cora that despite his start, they wanted Abreu to get more reps, not less. Abreu seemingly was going to start the season in right field platoon—until O’Neill called Cora’s bet with his Opening Day home run and then exploded onto the scene. As it turns out, Cora was on the money with his call:
Defense
I’m starting with defense with a player on the Red Sox? Lunacy, right? But Abreu has made several key plays in right field, warranting mention of his glove.
April 16
Tied at 6 in the 9th inning after a blown save by Kenley Jansen, Abreu races into the right field corner and leaps Andrew Benintenti-style to rob Jose Ramírez of extra bases and multiple runs that surely would have led to the Red Sox demise right there and then.
I say right there and then because the Sox would end up losing in 11, but it’s that type of play that not only saves games, but boosts confidence.
April 18
How about down 2-1 midway through the game, Abreu hustles down the line on a high pop fly from Gabriel Areias and slides to make the catch in foul territory, almost sliding into the tarp? I’m not a Major League ballplayer, but if I were attempting that catch, I almost certainly would have pulled up for fear of sliding either right into the tarp or into the side wall and injuring myself. Phenomenal instincts from Abreu here.
April 20
Finally, give me a highlight during a win! Up in the 5th inning—this time in left field—Abreu dives to Edward Olivares’ dismay and Kutter Crawford’s delight to rob the former of extra bases. The result? The Red Sox extended their lead in the very next frame on a 2-run shot by Masataka Yoshida and would win the game, 4-2. Starting pitching has been excellent this season, but you always need plays like this to support stellar performances.
Offense
Like I said above, Abreu’s bat was extremely tepid coming into April 16th. Not for much longer.
April 19
At long last, Wilyer shows off his power and demolishes a baseball out of PNC Park. It wasn’t shown well but I wouldn’t be surprised if that ball was floating in the Allegheny when it finally came to rest. Oh yeah, he also got two more hits and scored another run in this one, going 3-for-5 in all, as the Red Sox went on to romp the Pirates, 8-1.
April 21
Did I say Wilyer Abreu went 3-for-5 again? Rinse and repeat as he does it this time with two RBI singles, and reaching on a fielding error by O’Neil Cruz to score a third. After this game, he had brought his season batting average up to .280. In a span of barely two weeks, he had risen his batting average almost 100 points.
April 23
This brings us to last night. A rainy quiet game, a pitcher’s duel between Tanner Houck and Ben Lively, just three hits a piece going into the late stages of this one. Abreu took it upon himself to wake everyone up. A moonshot down the right-field line—his second homer of the season—put the Sox on top, though only momentarily and certainly not for good. Still, what a change in momentum compared to the first six frames.
So where does Wilyer Abreu stand now? He has a .278/.381/.481/.862 slash line on the season with two homers, eight RBI and four stolen bases. What he also has—once again—is confidence. In a time when the lineup really looked like it came out of Worcester, Abreu stepped up to pull this team back into performance at the Major League level.