Wilyer Abreu churned out another 3 bWAR season in Boston. He might on the trading block. He might win another Gold Glove. He gets big hits.
The Good
Gold Glove defense. Abreu won the AL right field Gold Glove in
2024 and is a finalist for 2025. Back-to-back Gold Gloves isn’t nothing. It’s in fact a lot. For as maligned as the Red Sox defense is (largely confined to errors, the Sox rated better by other metrics) Wilyer Abreu has been an excellent fit. Right field at Fenway Park is big. It has corners. It has a bullpen. It has the Pesky Pole. It’s a challenge and Abreu handles it with aplomb.
But he’s not just a fielding fiend who hits at the bottom of the lineup. Abreu was second in home runs behind only Trevor Story, with 22 to the latter’s 25. Of course, with multiple IL stints Abreu played in just 115 games to Story’s 157. But if he’s a little healthier, that’s 30-home run power.
The Bad
Is Abreu deserving of the dreaded “injury prone” label? Maybe. But more than injury prone he seems to be hit with bad injury severity luck. Last year, the small trip down the dugout stairs took longer than expected to heal. His calf injury in August seemed mild at first. The Sox didn’t even put him on the 10-day IL because they thought he just needed a few days out of the lineup. It ended up being over a month. Slow healing isn’t really something you can blame on a player. Injuries aren’t all the same guy-to-guy. But it’s going to be something Craig Breslow and other teams put into their valuations on the trade market against, say, the 160 and 157 game workloads of Jarren Duran.
Best Game or Moment
The day: June 30.
The place: Fenway Park.
The opponent: Cincinnati Reds
The feat: a grand slam and an inside-the-park home run.
The Big Question
Can this guy stay healthy? In his two full seasons, Wilyer Abreu has suffered some fluky injuries and some less fluky injuries. Will he ever trip down the stairs again? Probably not. Could the calf issue that took away a month flare up again? Maybe? But we don’t know the medical reasons. That might be a one-off and not the sign of some leg issues. He’s still really good even with the missed time! Imagine if he played in 150 games. Hopefully we get to find out.
2026 and Beyond
The Red Sox have a number of issues to address this winter. Separate from all the Alex Bregman drama, the main need is a number two starter who can slot in behind Garrett Crochet in the rotation. There might be a pitcher who meets that definition on the free agent market. But just like last year, there will be a lot of bidders. Which puts Craig Breslow back in the same boat: find a trade. And one thing the Sox have in spades is outfielders. They need to clear, for sure, two spots for Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony. There is room for one more full-time, regular, starting outfielder.
There has been a lot of talk about moving Jarren Duran but the other name is Wilyer Abreu. Personally and outfield of Anthony, Rafaela, and Abreu could be really good! Is it better than Duran, Rafaela, Anthony? I don’t know. Heck, trade Duran and Abreu and now you might really have enough (either both moved or a three-team deal with prospects from Duran/Abreu going to the team with the pitcher) to get someone not-quite-but-close-to Garrett Crochet.
