Wilyer Abreu Got So Close to Stardom In 2026, but One Final Step Awaits Red Sox's Gold Glover

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Most Boston Red Sox fans agreed that 2026 was the year that Wilyer Abreu needed to take the next step in his offensive game to prove that he should be considered a piece to build around. We already know just how outstanding of a defender he is in right field—he’s won back-to-back Gold Gloves and is nominated for a third—but offensively, Abreu had a complicated track record.

While I'd stop short of saying that he completely broke out this year, as he suffered from cold streaks that broke up scorching hot runs throughout the season, Abreu did take an impressive step against left-handed pitching that has to be celebrated. Let’s dive into the numbers.

On the season, Abreu slashed .248/.327/.446 with 24 home runs, 76 RBIs, a .335 wOBA, 20.7 K%, 10.4 BB%, 112 wRC+, and 3.3 fWAR. He set career highs in both home runs and RBIs and that should give the Red Sox’s front office confidence that he’s going to continue to improve as he goes through his arbitration years.

Until this season, he operated in a platoon role in right field. He only really started against right-handed pitchers while he was on the bench as a late-game substitute whenever a southpaw was on the mound. Alex Cora, and later Chad Tracy, charged Abreu with taking a step forward against lefties this season as he was handed the keys to the full-time starting role in right field. He more than rewarded their confidence in him; against lefties, Abreu slashed .295/.375/.479 with six home runs, 27 RBI, a .373 wOBA, 16.6 K%, 10.6 BB%, and a 138 wRC+. While he didn’t hit a ton of homers, he was putting the ball in play frequently and getting on base at an impressive clip. His success against lefties got to the point that when opposing managers would make a move to the bullpen to bring in their trusted left-handed to face Abreu, both Lou Merloni and Dave O’Brien would start to chuckle because they knew Abreu’s splits weren’t what most people would assume this season.

The flip side though, is that Abreu took a big step back against right-handed pitchers. His slash line looks decidedly worse for this split: .226/.305/.430 with 18 home runs, 49 RBI, a .317 wOBA, 22.6 K%, 10.3 BB%, and a 99 wRC+. That being said, Abreu found his power stroke against righties and that should continue to carry into 2027 and beyond. It’s plausible to suggest he spent the bulk of last offseason focusing on becoming a better hitter against left-handed pitching and that left him unprepared for righties. He'll have to discover that balance to really emerge as an offensive star, but he now has verifiable proof that he can mash against all pitchers, regardless of which side they throw from.

At the end of the day, Abreu continues to dominate right field for the Red Sox. As long as he’s healthy, he’s going to be patrolling around the biggest home right field in baseball while adding Gold Gloves to his growing collection. If he can just marry his evolution against lefties with a resurgence against righties, Abreu could be in All-Star conversations as quickly as next season. Should that come to fruition, the Red Sox would be smart to lock him up with a contract extension sooner rather than later.