Abreu's sophomore season off to a hot start, leading MLB in OPS

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BOSTON -- Sophomore slump? Try sophomore sizzle.

Wilyer Abreu is not only the hottest hitter on the Red Sox to start the season, but he’s setting the pace across MLB.

Through the first 10 games of the season, his batting line is .483/.595/.897 with three doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs. He also leads the Majors with a 1.492 OPS.

Considering that Abreu missed the first three weeks of Grapefruit League action as he battled back from a gastrointestinal virus, his start has been impressive.

But it’s also a product of how hard he's worked in the offseason to become a more complete hitter than in an inconsistent rookie year, when his batting line was .253/.322/.459 with 15 homers, 58 RBIs, 40 walks and 125 strikeouts.

Out of the gate in ‘25, Abreu has displayed more control of the strike zone, drawing eight walks while striking out four times.

“That was a focal point during the offseason and also in Spring Training,” Abreu said. “I feel like last year, I struck out a lot. And when I don't strike out, I feel like I have a good opportunity to contribute to the team and hit the ball hard. So for me, it was a very important thing to try to cut down on strikeouts and also focus on the strike zone.”

Abreu is also using the whole field again. This is something he did during his 28-game callup in 2023, but not often enough last season.

"That’s the hitter we saw [two] years ago,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He can take advantage of the wall. He worked hard in the offseason with his swing and his body and right now his start is amazing.”

Abandoning last year’s pull-happy approach paid off for Abreu when he belted a walk-off hit off the Green Monster, giving the Red Sox a 5-4 win in 10 innings over the Cardinals in Game 1 of Sunday’s split doubleheader.

“Obviously, trying to use the whole field is a huge help,” Abreu said. “And even more here in Fenway when we try to use the Monster to our advantage. If I'm able to do that consistently, it’s going to be a very good year for me.”

It’s not as if last year was anything to sneeze at. As a rookie, Abreu reeled in the American League’s Gold Glove Award in right field. Making that even more noteworthy is that Fenway Park’s right field is considered the most difficult in MLB to cover. In Sunday’s nightcap, he came up throwing on a single and fired a bullet to third base to nail Lars Nootbaar. The throw was 90.7 mph, per Statcast.

If Abreu can raise his game offensively, he will become one of the most well-rounded outfielders in the game.

Abreu was off to a strong start last season but lost momentum on June 2, when he severely sprained his right ankle. Though he returned to action 10 days later, Abreu’s bat didn’t return to the form it was before the injury.

The 25-year-old often goes under the radar as part of a talented young core that includes Jarren Duran, Triston Casas and Kristian Campbell. But he will never complain about that.

The soft-spoken Abreu has always preferred to let his bat and glove do the talking for him.

“Like I always say, I don't try to do too much,” said Abreu. “Just stay within my plan and try to control the strike zone. For me, that’s been a big key and that’s what I’m trying to do.”