Apr 29, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of the Boston Red Sox logo and a field bag during batting practice before the game between the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Red Sox Finally Move Closer to Much-Needed Lineup Boost

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Boston Red Sox need a boost right now and it sounds like they are getting very close to getting one.

Boston's offense specifically needs some sort of help right now. The Red Sox continued to shake things up on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and had Masataka Yoshida as the team's leadoff hitter for the first time in his big league career. Boston is looking around for some pop in the lineup and fortunately, outfielder Wilyer Abreu took a step in the right direction on Saturday by running over at Fenway Park, per manager Alex Cora and shared by MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"Cora on Wilyer Abreu: 'He ran yesterday. He ran today. I just texted to him. He feels OK. It wasn’t at full speed but he felt better than the last time he tried...It's the start of the progression. I don't know as far as timetable, but it's good news.'"

The Boston Red Sox should get a reinforcement back soon

The Red Sox clearly need offense and Abreu can provide that. Although he has missed a lot of time, he's second on the Red Sox in home runs at 22 -- just one behind Trevor Story. Abreu has done this in 108 games whereas Story has played 138 games. Abreu is also third on the Red Sox in RBIs with 69. Abreu hasn't played in a game since August 17th at this point for Boston.

After losing against the Diamonsbacks on Saturday -- the team's third straight loss -- Boston now has a 78-65 record. Boston is 4 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East. Boston is also 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees for second place. The Red Sox have the No. 2 American League Wild Card spot and are just behind the Yankees and are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners who have the No. 3 Wild Card.

Losing Roman Anthony clearly hurts the offense, but getting Abreu back in the near future would do a lot to fix the issue in the short term.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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