Wilyer Abreu set to return to the Red Sox Sunday vs. Rays

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox offense has taken a hit of late and are in need of Abreu’s reliable bat.

The Red Sox have been inconsistent down the stretch offensively, but they are on the verge of getting a powerful bat back in the lineup on Sunday.

Wilyer Abreu, who’s been out of action since mid-August with an oblique injury, is in Tampa Bay and set to be activated off the injured list ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Rays, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Abreu missed over a month, and his absence along with other injuries to Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer have slowed a Boston club that was red hot prior to the lineup holes.

Even though he missed over 40 games this season, Abreu is still second on the Red Sox in home runs this season (22). He is batting .253 in 2025 with an OPS of .811 and 69 RBIs heading into the final seven games of the regular season. As Boston nears a postseason berth, Abreu being back in the lineup will take some pressure off less seasoned teammates like Nate Eaton that were thrust into heavier workloads while he recovered.

And despite his prolonged absence, Abreu is feeling ready for whatever the team needs him to do down the stretch.

“I’m ready to play the rest of the games and the playoffs, too,” Abreu told reporters. “I’m ready to go and happy to be here with the team. If they need me in the outfield, I’ll be ready for that. And I’ll be ready for DH too.”

Boston still isn’t out of the woods yet in the wildcard race, but a win over Tampa Bay helped it inch closer to October. FanGraphs currently gives the Red Sox an 89.3 percent chance to make the playoffs, which bodes well for their playoff hopes. However, the team is 10-10 in its last 20 games, struggling to play well with any consistency over that stretch.