Red Sox Betting Big On Return Of Wilyer Abreu

The Boston Red Sox got a boost on Sunday night as they took down the American League East rival New York Yankees.

With the win, Boston improved its record to 82-68 on the season and closed the gap with the Yankees a tad after it widened earlier in the series. Boston dropped the first two games of the series and then rode a six-run first inning and a solid start from Garrett Crochet back into the win column.

Boston now is 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees for the top spot in the American League Wild Card race. New York is at No. 1, Boston is at No. 2, and the Houston Astros are one game behind the Red Sox at No. 3. The standings have started to tighten up, but Boston got some much-needed breathing room on Sunday.

Now, the Red Sox have a day off on Monday before beginning a six-day stretch with three games against the Athletics and three games against the Rays.

It's been a tough stretch for Boston overall. The club is just 4-6 over its last 10 games. Monday is an opportunity to reset, but also helps to buy time until the Red Sox can get a big piece back. Boston's offense clearly hasn't looked the same since Roman Anthony went down with an oblique injury. It's tough to replace someone hitting near .300, getting on base at a near .400 clip, and also has power. It's been tough to do so, but the Red Sox finally have someone approaching a return who can help.

Wilyer Abreu has been out since August 17th. That's the last game he played. That day, he went 2-for-3 against the Miami Marlins but has been out since with a calf injury.

He spoke about his impending return on Sunday, as transcribed by Matt Vautour of MassLive.com.

The Red Sox are waiting for the return of Wilyer Abreu

Aug 17, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) hits a two run home run during the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

“I don’t know. Soon. Waiting for the trainers to let me play,” Abreu said. “Maybe next week. I don’t know… I’ve been hitting. I’ve been doing everything. I don’t feel anything when I hit. The progressing of running has been very good...

"It took a lot longer. I thought it wasn’t a big deal. But I’m focused on being healthy and 100 percent next week and the rest of the season. It’s very tough to not play and help the team. Waiting to be healthy and 100 percent so I can play the last couple of games and potentially the playoffs."

The Red Sox certainly need him. He's second on the team in home runs with 22 and third in RBIs with 69.

Clearly, Boston is betting on his return as manager Alex Cora noted this weekend that the team is hoping he can reach 90 percent before getting back on the field.

"The Red Sox want injured right fielder Wilyer Abreu (right calf strain) at 90 percent before activating him from the 10-day injured list," MassLive.com's Christopher Smith said. "They’re tracking his recovery with such precision that they know he needs to improve another 4 percent to reach their target. 'We’re shooting at one point next week,' manager Alex Cora said before the Red Sox’ game against the Yankees on Saturday. 'I’m not sure if it’s the Athletics or Tampa. But it seems like he’s feeling a lot better. Yesterday he ran at 86 percent. Like I said, getting to 90 percent is good enough for us. So we’ll just have to wait and see.'"

Things got nerve-wracking there for a minute for Boston after losing the first two games of the series and the Wild Card standings tightening up. But, the Red Sox won the third and it sounds like Abreu could be the piece that they need to really get this offense back and running.

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