Jose Abreu ‘working on' his English

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jose Abreu’s English has improved, but he’s still not comfortable with his grasp of the language.

Despite a busy offseason, the White Sox first baseman said Tuesday that he and his wife are working to improve their English. Last season, Abreu again said he wanted to develop his language skills in order to become a better teammate. Now in his third season, Abreu said he’s a work in progress.

“I’m working on it,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “I can listen and understand, but sometimes I’m afraid to speak because I don’t know if I’m going to do it well. And I’m afraid of that. But I’m trying to learn every day a little bit. My hope is to one day sit here with you guys and do an interview in English.”

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Abreu has had a full calendar since the 2015 season ended. He got married in November. Three weeks later, Abreu participated in Major League Baseball’s goodwill tour to Cuba, which allowed him to see his son for the first time in several years.

Abreu said that he and his wife, Yusmary, have studied together. The White Sox have made communication easier for Abreu with the addition of bench coach Rick Renteria. While hitting coach Todd Steverson and pitching coach Don Cooper both speak some Spanish, Renteria is far more fluent.

“It’s something very important,” Abreu said. “It’s special to have that kind of guy in the coaching staff because you feel more comfortable when you have to communicate with them. That’s very good for us and very important. That’s going to be something that could help us to get better this year.”

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