Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu will remain out of the lineup after his stint on the 10-day IL is up, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive. Red Sox manager Alex Cora reported that the team will likely be cautious with Abreu as they head into the final month of the regular season.
“He’s doing OK, progressing,” Cora said Monday. “But I don’t know if it’s going to be this week. We’ll see. Hopefully there’s a jump in the upcoming days.”
Abreu was placed on the 10-day IL with right calf tightness on Aug. 21, retroactive to Aug. 18 and it eligible to return on Thursday, Aug. 28. The 26-year-old has remained on the road with the team through their road trip to New York and now in Baltimore, where they’ll remain until Friday when they return home to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Abreu has started running with team training staff, but Cora doesn’t seem to feel the need to rush him back to game action.
Abreu is batting .253 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI in what has been a streaky but successful season for last years’ gold glove winner.
Red Sox Dealing With a Slew of Injuries
Along with Abreu, fellow outfielder and lefty specialist Rob Refsnyder has been on the IL since Aug. 18 with a left oblique strain. Refsnyder is expected to return to game action this week against Baltimore.
Boston also faced some injury adversity on Monday when pitcher Richard Fitts exited the game with right bicep tightness after throwing the first pitch in his fifth inning of work against the Orioles. Fitts was poised to claim the final spot in the Red Sox starting rotation after they demoted Walker Buehler to the bullpen, but they’ll now have to look elsewhere to fill that final spot.
The starting rotation has taken a few hits this season, with Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford failing to make it through their rehab stints and ending up on the IL for the full season. Hunter Dobbins also tore his ACL back in July after a promising start to the season.
Pressure is mounting for the Red Sox to promote one of their top two pitching prospects from AAA Worcester, either Payton Tolle or Kyle Harrison, who was acquired in the blockbuster Rafael Devers trade back in June.
Boston Will Get Reinforcements This Week
With Refsnyder set to be reinstated this week against Baltimore, the Red Sox are also set to get late-inning reliever Justin Slaten back after his nearly three month stint on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. Slaten appeared in 24 games for the Red Sox in the first half of the season before he was placed on the IL, when he had a 3.47 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched.
Slaten was the Red Sox most reliable reliever in the 2024 season when he posted a 2.93 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched with 58 strikeouts and just nine walks.
In his rehab stint with the Worcester Red Sox, Slaten has pitched three innings without allowing a run and racking up five strikeouts.
Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Shares Update on Wilyer Abreu Injury