Chicago White Sox MVP To Return To Rate Field During 2025 Season

Jose Abreu plans to be at Rate Field on Sept. 19 and 20.

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (79) celebrates after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

CHICAGO –– One of the best hitters in White Sox history will return to Rate Field later this season.

Jose Abreu, the 2020 American League MVP, plans to be at the ballpark on Friday, Sept. 19 and Saturday, Sept. 20. He'll throw the ceremonial first pitch on the 19th as part of Hispanic Heritage Night, according to the White Sox.

The MVP is back on September 19! pic.twitter.com/OFp33TBVwt

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 29, 2025

One of Abreu's former teammates who is still with the White Sox, Luis Robert Jr., was happy to hear the news.

"I just FaceTimed him and we were talking. It’s good to have him around and he has been an influential person ever since I came here," Robert said Friday through an interpreter. "It’s good to be around him."

Abreu, 38, manned first base for the White Sox from 2014-2022, earning AL Rookie of the Year, three Silver Slugger Awards and three All-Star appearances. He led the AL in slugging percentage in 2014 and 2020, and led the league in RBI in 2019 and 2020. He also played an integral role in the White Sox reaching the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, the team's first playoff appearance since 2008.

Abreu finished his White Sox career ranked third in franchise history in home runs (243), fifth in RBI (863), sixth in slugging percentage (.506), ninth in OPS (.860), 10th in runs (697), 10th in hits (1,445), seventh in total bases (2,509), sixth in doubles (303) and seventh in offensive WAR (32.9).

Following the 2022 season, Abreu signed a three-year, $58.5 million contract with the Houston Astros. He posted a career-low slash line of .237/.296/.383/.680 across 141 games in 2023 and was worth a career-low -0.1 wins above replacement. The Astros released Abreu 35 games into his 2024 season, less than halfway into his three-year contract. He is currently a free agent.

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