Wilyer Abreu is making the case for a spot on the 2024 Opening Day roster
Red Sox rookie Wilyer Abreu has enjoyed his first taste of the majors and the young outfielder has his sights set on locking down a spot on the 2024 Opening Day roster.
“Obviously I’d like to be on the Opening Day roster but that is not guaranteed,” Abreu told MassLive’s Christopher Smith through an interpreter in Baltimore. “You have to earn it. I’m just going to try to put myself in the best position to earn that role and to make the team. We know that nothing is guaranteed. You have to come to spring training ready to fire, ready to earn that spot and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to prepare physically and mentally to fight for that spot.”
The 24-year-old has hit .329 with two homers, six doubles, 13 Rbi and owns a .890 OPS in 70 at-bats this season.
Abreu played the majority of the season for the WooSox, he saw action in 86 games while missing time with left and right hamstring strains.
This winter, the Sox and Abreu will work on a conditioning plan that will allow him to dial in his strength and avoid future injuries.
“I think my routine (with baseball activities) in the offseason has been successful enough that it has put me in this position,” Abreu said. “I know since early in my career, I’ve had a lot of hamstring problems and that is something that I need to work on to avoid those problems in my hamstring for next year. But besides that, I think my routine and my offseason plans are really good. And that’s what I’m going to stick with. I’m going to try to get ready physically to be ready to play 162 games next year and to try to avoid those hamstring injuries.”
The offseason will help determine what Abreu’s 2024 plans will look like. Boston has a crowded outfield with Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, Alex Verdugo and Ceddanne Rafaela in the mix for playing time.
Abreu could see a spot open up if the Red Sox trade Verdugo, who is in the final year of arbitration. Verdugo was rumored to be traded at the deadline, including in a potential deal with the Yankees.
One thing that helps Abreu’s case for the 2024 Opening Day roster is his ability to swing at strikes and not offer at pitches out of the zone. With the WooSox this season, he posted a 16.3% walk percentage and 19.7% in the bigs. He walked a total of 114 times.
“That’s something I’ve been working hard on the past few years,” Abreu said. “I think that’s something that has been helping me do more damage. So just understanding what you can do with good pitches vs. what you can do with bad pitches, that’s something that has helped me a lot mentally. There’s only so much you can do with a bad pitch. But I know with a good pitch I can do damage and that’s what my focus has been: Try to get a good pitch to do damage, to handle it instead of swinging at bad pitches and the result is obviously not going to be the same.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has said Abreu is a type of player that controls the strike zone.
Abreu can play all three outfield positions and possess a cannon of an arm. WooSox skipper Chad Tracy has raved all season about Abreu’s strong throwing arm, particularly when he plays him in left field at Polar Park.
“He has made some good throws from right field; he just really has a great arm.” Tracy said. “It’s a strong accurate arm that stays low to the ground and seems to always perfectly one hop to the base no matter where he throws it from.”
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