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Do Red Sox have a 30-home run slugger in 26-year-old; ‘Hopefully’
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- Do Red Sox have a 30-home run slugger in 26-year-old; ‘Hopefully’
CINCINNATI — Wilyer Abreu went deep again.
The 26-year-old slugger connected for a 385-foot two-run home run in the Red Sox’ 3-2 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Sunday. It gave Boston a 2-0 lead.
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Abreu also had hit a game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning Saturday before Boston lost 6-5 to Cincinnati in 11 innings .
Through three games, he’s 6-for-13 (.462) with two home runs, two doubles, four RBIs, two runs and one strikeout.
“I think this is sustainable,” manager Alex Cora said. “He has a good knowledge of his swing and what the opposition is trying to do. We’ve just gotta keep getting him more at-bats, especially against lefties and see where it takes us.”
The two-time Gold Glove winner was on pace for 30 home runs through the end of July last season . But he missed 30 games late in the season with a left calf strain and finished with 22 home runs.
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Can he reach 30 in 2026?
“Hopefully. Hopefully, yeah,” Abreu said. “If I stay healthy, we’ll see what happens at the end of the season. But right now I’m not thinking on a number. So just try to stay the way that I’m playing right now, stay there through the whole season and we’ll see.”
The Red Sox plan to play Abreu more against left-handed starting pitchers this year and he did start against lefty Andrew Abbott on Opening Day.
The left-handed hitter doubled against Reds lefty reliever Brock Burke on Sunday, one of his three hits in the game. He’s 2-for-5 against lefties in the first three games.
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“That’s something that I work a lot this year,” Abreu said. “So we’ll see through the season how it’s going to be. But right now I feel really good getting lefties, too.”
He said he feels under control with his body when he swings. He understands he’s a better hitter when he’s using the whole field, not just pulling the ball to right field.
“This year I’m just trying to stay more through the middle and trying to not open my front side too early,” Abreu said.
Overall, he said he knows himself better this year.
“So I know how or when I have to do damage and when I have to just try to put the ball in play and see what happens,” Abreu said.
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