Going into the 2026 season, the Boston Red Sox had plenty of issues to fix. Power (and to an extent, run support) was a huge question mark, especially after trading the only 30/100 contender on the team in Rafael Devers last season. After this past weekend, the series against the Cincinnati Reds showed that Boston still has some issues. But power and run support aren’t part of the problem so far, and a major factor in that area is right fielder Wilyer Abreu.
Is Wilyer Abreu the Answer to Recent Red Sox Power Issues?
The discussion of the search for Boston’s power bats has been ongoing even before Devers left. The last 30-homer guy for the Sox was Tyler O’Neill in 2024. The last time multiple guys achieved that stat for Boston was 2021, with Devers and Hunter Renfroe. It is possible that someone in the lineup could cross this threshold again, especially with all eyes on a huge breakout from Roman Anthony. But some, including manager Alex Cora, have said that Abreu has the potential to be Boston’s main source of power this year.
And after seeing his March thus far, it’s not impossible to believe Cora’s claim. Even looking at last year, he started off hot in the first few games. For comparison, through the first three games each season:
- 2025: 6-for-9 (.667 AVG), two home runs, five RBI
- 2026: 6-for-13 (.462 AVG), two home runs, four RBI
Both seasons had very good starts, and both seasons coincidentally finished with the same result; Boston started 1-2 on the year.
A Hot Start to the Season
In fact, Abreu’s hot start in 2026 not only imitated last year’s start, but also his heroics in the recent World Baseball Classic. For those who didn’t watch earlier this month, Abreu played for Venezuela. In the semifinals, they went up against Japan, the defending champions. Down 5-4 in the sixth inning, Abreu crushed the go-ahead three-run homer to put them up 7-5, which would also end up being the game-winning homer in Venezuela’s 8-5 victory.
WILYER ABREU
THREE-RUN HOME RUN
TEAM VENEZUELA TAKES THE LEAD 🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/9ovv3fluF6— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 15, 2026
This relates to the current day because on Saturday, the Red Sox struggled in a game that had no shortage of headlines. But in the ninth inning with two outs, they found themselves down by one run. Abreu stepped up to the plate and hit the game-tying homer to send them to extra innings. Boston would unfortunately lose in 11 innings, but Abreu’s heroics from earlier in the month continued. It also showed proof that he can be a source of power.
WILYER ABREU NEVER WANTS MARCH TO END 😳 pic.twitter.com/Ya60PKXxYq
— MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2026
Now, it is entirely possible this is just a hot start. The same exact thing happened last season, and things will calm down eventually. There’s also no guarantee that he’ll stay healthy, as he missed 47 games last year. It’s a long season, and anything can happen. Anthony could go on a hot streak and overtake Abreu as that guy, or it could be neither of them. But as of right now, Cora and the Red Sox may have their answer in terms of their 30/100 guy in Abreu.
Main Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
