Detailing the friendship between Kendall Graveman, Garrett Whitlock
Bobby Dalbec sat at his locker in the visitors' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, exhausted from the chaotic early-morning trip he had taken from Triple-A to the majors. Nobody would have blamed him if not a word was spoken on this May day. But unprompted, and almost out of nowhere, Dalbec wanted to pass on an observation gleaned while with Worcester.
"You know who is really good? Abreu," Dalbec relayed.
Dalbec went to explain how Wilyer Abreu, the outfielder the Red Sox had plucked from the Astros in last season's trade of Christian Vazquez, could do it all: Hit with power, show off a cannon of an arm and run with the best of them.
It turns out, Dalbec knew of what he spoke.
Abreu has picked up where he left off with the WooSox, making his mark from the get-go during his first few big league games. His latest punctuation came in the form of his first career home run - a two-run, second-inning blast - that set the Red Sox on their way to a 17-1 rout of the Astros Thursday afternoon.
With the win, the Red Sox are now 28-2 since June 14 when scoring five or more runs. Abreu - who was joined in the Red Sox home run parade by Alex Verdugo, who went deep to lead off the game, and Connor Wong - was a big part of the latest offensive outburst. The rookie ended up with four hits in what would be a 24-hit day for the visitors. He will be making his Fenway Park debut carrying a .500 batting average with an OPS of 1.488.
The win gave the Red Sox a 6-4 mark on the road trip, outscoring their opponents 67-51. Alex Cora's club started the journey three games out of a Wild Card spot and return home 3 1/2 games back.
The 24-year-old will forever be on Red Sox' followers minds thanks to his involvement in the 2022 trade deadline deal with Houston that also netted the Red Sox Enmanuel Valdez.
After joining the Red Sox last season, Abreu was good but not great for Double-A Portland, totaling a .744 OPS in 40 games. That came after an .858 OPS with Houston's Double-A club.
And while there were signs that there was something about this kid from Venezuela, the Red Sox still weren't able to get definitive proof in spring training thanks to a hamstring ailment that kept Abreu out for much of the Grapefruit League schedule.
And while Dalbec and everyone else in Worcester were sold on Abreu in those first few months of the 2023 Triple-A season, a downturn in July (.174 batting average, .670 OPS) prevented definitive buy-in for some. But then came August.
In the 17 games with the WooSox this month before being called up, Abreu hit .424 with a mammoth 1.477 OPS and nine home runs. Paving the way for the opportunity with the Red Sox, who found themselves in need of lefty-hitting outfielder due to Jarren Duran's toe injury.
Suddenly, those words echoed in that Philadelphia clubhouse seemed prescient.
What does Abreu's existence with the Red Sox look like in the long-term? That remains to be seen. But this we do know: This has been the right guy at the right time.
Thanks to MacFarlane Energy, the DEPENDABLE choice for home heating oil delivery and HVAC installation and service at MacFarlane Energy dot com.