Where Has Slumping Red Sox Slugger’s Power Gone? originally appeared on NESN.
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After sputtering for most of the season, the Boston Red Sox‘s offense has finally turned the corner over the last two weeks, producing like it’s capable of as multiple players have heated up.
One player who hasn’t, however, is Wilyer Abreu, who’s fallen into a mysterious slump lately.
Fresh off an impressive World Baseball Classic, Abreu was one of the few Red Sox players who carried over that performance into the regular season. He opened the season on fire and was arguably the team’s best hitter through mid-May, batting .310/.385/.475 with six home runs, six doubles, 19 RBI and 20 runs in 42 games through May 14.
For someone who was supposed to be one of the few players with the ability to hit 30 HRs and slug this year for the Boston Red Sox, Wilyer Abreu’s power has absolutely disappeared over the last month, plus.
His last home run was May 8th, and he has only tallied 14 XBH out of… pic.twitter.com/QQcj5FNOrc
— Scranton Red Sox (@ScrantonRedSox) June 3, 2026
While Boston’s offense has caught fire since then, however, Abreu’s gone cold at the plate. He’s slashing just .209/.239/.299 with more strikeouts than hits over his last 16 games and hasn’t gone deep since May 8.
One reason for Abreu’s slump is his poor plate discipline during that stretch, as he’s stopped taking walks. After posting a strong 12.2 percent walk rate through May 8, he’s drawn just three walks against 17 strikeouts over his last 20 games — a 3.4 percent walk rate.
It’s possible Abreu is playing through an injury, isn’t seeing the ball well or pitchers have adjusted to him after his hot start. His .766 OPS is nearly in line with his career .785 mark, so regression to the mean may have been a factor as well.
Whatever the reason, the Red Sox need him to start hitting again soon, especially for power. They rank 29th in home runs, 26th in walks and 26th in slugging, so they need him to start being more patient and driving the ball with authority again.
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