Wilyer

Abreu

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.

Abreu was great in the WBC and the first 10 games of the season, but his OPS is already back under .800 now, as he’s gone 4-for-34 with no extra-base hits in his last nine games. He’ll bounce back and he should retain some mixed-league value, but it doesn’t look like that a big breakthrough is going to materialize here.

The Twins are throwing a right-handed pitcher, so Red Sox manager Alex Cora mentioned that this was a planned day off for Abreu. It just comes at a bad time with Willson Contreras (back) injured and both Caleb Durbin and Carlos Narvaez getting a day off. Roman Anthony will be in right field for this one with Masataka Yoshida at designated hitter and batting third.

Abreu has been the one player immune to Boston’s early offensive slump. He has 10 hits, twice as many as anyone else on the team, and his three homers are as many as the rest of the club has combined. He won’t be sitting against lefties anytime soon.

After hitting a game-tying homer in the ninth inning of Boston’s eventual loss Saturday, Abreu again did everything he could to aid the Red Sox offense today. Alas, his homer accounted for the team’s only runs. He might have plated more runs in the eighth if Jarren Duran hadn’t gotten picked off first with one out. Willson Contreras went on to reach and Abreu singled to the gap afterwards, but Caleb Durbin struck out to end the threat.

With Rob Refsnyder no longer on the team, the Red Sox don’t have a clear platoon partner for Abreu. Isiah Kiner-Falefa may make some starts in the outfield against lefties, but he’s playing second base today with Marcelo Mayer sitting. This is great news for Abreu’s fantasy value, and he could be in for a real breakout season. The rest of the Red Sox’s Opening Day lineup is: Roman Anthony LF, Trevor Story SS, Jarren Duran DH, Willson Contreras 1B, Caleb Durbin 3B, Wilyer Abreu RF, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 2B, Carlos Narvaez C, and Ceddanne Rafaela CF.