HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Astros first baseman Jose Abreu could rejoin the team this weekend in Oakland, a little more than three weeks after he agreed to a minor league option.
Astros general manager Dana Brown mentioned Abreu could play in Triple-A games before being recalled this weekend on the team's radio broadcast before Sunday's game.
"He's really close," Astros manager Joe Espada said Monday. "He uses that word often, like he's close, he comfortable, he's confident, so when he gets up here, we'll get to see that."
In the second year of a three-year, $58.5 million contract, Abreu had been relegated to a part-time role at the bottom of the Astros lineup after starting the season with a .099/.156/.113 slash line.
Following a meeting on April 29, the decision was made to send Abreu to the Astros spring training in West Palm Beach, FL, near his home in Miami, where he'd be allowed to work some things out in a low-pressure environment. He's worked with Astros minor league coaches as well as team advisor Jeff Bagwell, in the cage, taken at bats in live batting practice sessions, and played in complex league games.
"I got a ton of videos and reports from our coordinators, and I like the physical adjustment he's made to his swing," Espada said. "His at bats have also been really pretty good, competitive, hitting the ball hard, so the plan is for if he clears the next couple of days, he'll play a couple of games, and like (Brown) said, if everything looks good he could join us this weekend."
Abreu played in his third Florida Complex League game on Monday, finishing 1-for-5 with a double and a strikeout. He's 3-for-14 with two doubles against low level minor leaguers.
"He has checked a lot of the boxes that we want him to check," Espada said. "Number one, his swing decisions, his swing mechanics. He's hitting the ball really hard, he's moving well, and he's been able to repeat that swing every single day, every at bat, so he looks like he's in a much better offensive position, and also mentally, that's also another area that we wanted him to just clear his mind, kind of a reset, and we feel like he's getting close to that."
Espada said the 37-year old first baseman has simplified his swing in the time he's been in Florida.
"He usually has that little toe-tap, hands are moving a lot," Espada said. "Now, it's just more simpler, more direct to the ball, and more in control of his body."
The Astros are 12-7 since Abreu left the team, and the team's .757 OPS in May is third best in Major League Baseball. His demotion has also allowed Jon Singleton to emerge as a viable first base option. The 32-year old has compiled a .769 OPS while starting 18-of-19 games at first base, but Espada says he is not worried about possibly rocking the boat by bringing Abreu back.
"Jose Abreu is part of this team. We cannot get to what we want to get to without Jose Abreu, so we're gonna need all hands on deck, and he's a really good player when he's healthy, when he's moving right, when his swing is right, so we are looking forward to getting Jose Abreu back."
