Since making his MLB debut in 2023 Wilyer Abreu has established himself as some of the promising all-around outfielders in baseball. However via three huge league seasons there’s one factor the 26-year-old nonetheless hasn’t completed, which is show he can hit left-handed pitching.
Subsequent yr, the Pink Sox hope that may change.
Talking to reporters on the MLB Winter Conferences in Orlando, each supervisor Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow indicated that they count on Abreu will get extra alternatives in opposition to lefties in 2026.
“We’ve to see if they will do it, it’s about that point. Particularly with Abreu,” Cora mentioned. “If he can hit lefties and if he can hit for energy and play protection the way in which he’s completed the previous few years, he might be the man.”
“Wilyer is a extremely good participant, we’ve seen the way in which he’s in a position to impression each side of the ball and he’s earned the best to get some added runway versus left-handed pitching,” Breslow mentioned. “We really feel prefer it’s an adjustment he’s able to making, and he’s acquired such a strong defensive ground that having him on the market most of the time goes to assist the general efforts of the workforce.”
Already a two-time Gold Glove winner, Abreu set new profession highs with 22 residence runs and 69 RBI regardless of enjoying solely 115 video games in 2025. However the overwhelming majority of Abreu’s injury offensively got here in opposition to righties, with the left-handed hitter logging solely 68 plate appearances in opposition to lefties whereas hitting one residence run with a .676 OPS. He hit 21 homers with an .808 OPS in 349 plate appearances in opposition to righties.
These continued career-long tendencies for Abreu. For his profession the outfielder has posted a .589 OPS in 145 plate appearances in opposition to lefties in comparison with an .827 OPS in 804 plate appearances in opposition to righties.
A few of that discrepancy in enjoying time might be owed to the presence of Rob Refsnyder, who mashes lefties and has usually began in opposition to southpaw starters, however Abreu’s lack of manufacturing in opposition to lefties is among the many causes he’s been the odd man out as an alternative of Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela.
However with extra improvement and familiarity the Pink Sox hope Abreu can take the following step and change into an day-after-day stalwart, which might assist make Boston’s offense way more formidable even earlier than the membership makes any extra exterior additions.
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