Red Sox Give Update on Wilyer Abreu Amid Injury Frustration

A month ago, the question in Boston was whether the Red Sox had too many outfielders for their own good. Now, here we are in the season's stretch run and Fenway park denizens are wondering whether Wilyer Abreu can run yet.

Boston's outfield was hit with a nasty 1-2 punch this week when the calf injury suffered by Abreu turned out to be much more stubborn than originally expected. While his return timeline was being elongated, right fielder Roman Anthony suffered an oblique injury while striking out on Tuesday, likely costing him the remainder of the 2025 regular season.

Quite suddenly, the Red Sox's vaunted outfield depth has grown decidedly thin. On Friday, manager Alex Cora updated Abreu's status and things still look a bit bleak--Abreu tried to run last week and couldn't, and is preparing to give running another try this weekend.

When Will Wilyer Abreu Return for Red Sox?

Here's what Cora said on the subject before the Red Sox faced the Diamondbacks on Friday, via MassLive: “He’s supposed to run tomorrow so we’ll know tomorrow night. He’s going to run for the first time since Baltimore.”

While the expectation is that Abreu's return will come quickly after he shows he can run, he will likely need a few days to be lineup-ready once he shows he can run without pain. The Red Sox are not anticipating a rehab stint in the minors for Abreu.

Still, it's a concern that Abreu has had such an uneven recovery.

“He hasn't run,” Cora said earlier this week. “He's not running ... just progressing but slowly. Not the way we envision when the injury happens, so we just have to be patient. It's not a setback. It's just not getting better the way we saw."

Red Sox Getting Breakout Year From Abreu

Assuming Abreu misses another week, with Anthony now out, the Red Sox will have to piece together their outfield with a chicken-wire-and-bubble-gum approach. Nate Eaton got the start on Friday, and Rob Refsnyder is expected to play a bigger role.

Still, getting Abreu back will go a long way toward easing the pain of missing Anthony. Abreu plays Gold Glove defense in right, and was in the midst of a breakout third season, posting a career-high 22 homers and .811 OPS.