Wilyer

Abreu

Abreu put this game to bed with a two-run homer in the ninth inning that stretched the Red Sox’s lead out to five runs and put the finishing touches on this stellar game. He’s now hit safely in eight of his last 10 games and is hoping to turn some of that contact into power with this being his first home run since June 23rd.

Abreu put the Red Sox on the board early, knocking a triple to drive in a run in the first inning. He then drew a walk in the third and stole second before extending the Boston lead with a solo homer off Sean Sullivan in the fifth inning. The 27-year-old outfielder is slashing .279/.344/.452 with 10 homers, 35 runs scored, 38 RBI, and six steals across 324 plate appearances.

It’s an extremely rare day off for Abreu, who has started 73 of 74 games to open the season. His last day off was on April 15. The 26-year-old slugger mashed a two-run homer, his ninth long ball of the season, during Saturday’s win at T-Mobile Park. It’ll be Nate Eaton getting a look in right field in his place on Sunday afternoon.

Abreu’s homer was a 416-footer to dead center, giving him nine on the season. At .275/.334/.433, he’s been a pretty average this season, but against all expectations, he has a .921 OPS against lefties and just a .707 OPS versus righties. Most likely, the OPS versus lefties will tumble, but some improvement versus righties should counter that and keep him useful in mixed leagues.

As usual, the Red Sox’s offense was practically nonexistent here. They were shutout and his double was their only extra-base hit. While they’ve lacked consistency as a club this season, Abreu has been there through it all and performed. He’s missed just one game all season and has a .278 batting average and .770 OPS, but with just eight home runs and five stolen bases.

Abreu connected for a two-run homer in the third off Chris Bassitt, his first since May 8. The lefty-swinging outfielder began the season on a tear but cooled in May. The Red Sox certainly hope he’s ready to go on another hot streak, as he continues to play every day and bat third. Abreu has lowered his strikeout rate in 2026, helping his batting average but hurting his power so far.

Abreu has been an everyday player for Boston this year, having sat just once on April 15. The lefty-swinging right fielder primarily bats third or fourth, but the team’s lack of run-scoring so far has held back his counting stats. Abreu finishes May with season totals of six homers, four stolen bases, and a .350 OBP.

Abreu had a 137 wRC+ through the end of April, but he hasn’t hit for quite the same power in May. The young right fielder remains a lineup fixture for Boston, as he’s hit third in 15 straight contests while missing only one game this season. He’s lowered his K% by nearly five points from 2025, down to 19.4% through Wednesday. He’ll continue his path to stardom if he can rediscover April’s power stroke alongside those plate-discipline gains.

Abreu got the start against left-hander Framber Valdez and has been getting far more playing time against lefties this season. He delivered too, with his fifth home run and second stolen base of the season. The 26-year-old is slashing .311/.393/.485 on the season and is a fixture in the middle of the Red Sox lineup. He looks like a major steal from fantasy baseball draft season.

His 403-foot shot to right-center barely cleared the deepest part of Camden Yards while also being a homer in 29 of 30 parks. Abreu’s hot start carried him closer to the middle of the order -- but he’s still hitting just .218/.306/.291 in his last 15 games even after this outburst. Boston’s problem is that, well, nobody else is really hitting well enough to push Abreu back down the lineup anyway. With an .845 OPS, it’s hard to be upset with the performance for his draft price, but Abreu’s .269/.321/.346 line against lefties continues to loudly speak to the idea that he should be a platoon player.