Wilyer Abreu was (retroactively) placed on the 10-day injured list on August 18 due to a right calf strain, and some eyebrows were raised last Sunday when both Abreu and Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t have any sort of timeline in place for the outfielder’s return, other than Abreu stressing that he wanted to “be ready for the playoffs.” Some literal steps in the right direction were taken this weekend when Cora told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other reporters that Abreu took part in running activities on both Friday and Saturday.
Cora described the drills as “the start of the progression,” and noted that Abreu “wasn’t at full speed.” The skipper didn’t have any more details about when Abreu could be tapped for a minor league rehab assignment or an activation from the IL. While naturally the Red Sox won’t rush Abreu for fear of re-aggravating his injury, there is some increased urgency to bolster the outfield now that Roman Anthony’s regular season has possibly been ended by an oblique strain. What was once an overcrowded outfield picture in Boston has been thinned out by the loss of two regulars, leaving the Sox with a Rob Refsnyder/Nate Eaton timeshare in right field since Anthony’s IL placement.
More from around the AL East…
- It seems like Dean Kremer has avoided the worst, as an MRI came back clean on the Orioles starter’s right forearm. Kremer had to make an early exit from Friday’s start due to forearm soreness, and interim manager Tony Mansolino told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters that the O’s will skip Kremer’s next turn in the rotation as a precaution. However, Kremer has already been throwing to test his readiness, and may be able to avoid the injured list altogether. The righty has been a source of stability within an injury-marred pitching staff, as Kremer has a 4.43 ERA over a team-leading 158 1/3 inning pitched. The hits kept coming for the Orioles today, as the team announced that “foot discomfort” forced starter Tomoyuki Sugano out of the game in the fourth inning, after Sugano was struck in the foot by a hard comebacker to the mound.
- Paul Goldschmidt’s playing time has already been reduced by his struggles at the plate, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone told media (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that the first baseman is also dealing with a bone bruise on his left knee. Tests revealed no structural damage and Goldschmidt is officially day to day, though Boone said Goldschmidt only would’ve played yesterday in an emergency scenario. After a scorching start to 2025, Goldschmidt has been in a slump that has now stretched beyond three months, as he has hit just .219/.265/.342 over his last 255 plate appearances. Goldschmidt might’ve already been trying to play through a knee sprain suffered in mid-August, and the bone bruise only adds to his difficulties in attempting to get on track for the postseason push.