{"id":87435,"date":"2024-10-09T14:04:10","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T18:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=87435"},"modified":"2024-10-09T14:04:10","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T18:04:10","slug":"jose-abreu-winter-ball-mlb-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/10\/09\/jose-abreu-winter-ball-mlb-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"Puerto Rico&#8217;s Winter League Welcomes Former MLB Star"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a significant step toward revitalizing his MLB career, Francys Romero reports that former All-Star first <span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">baseman <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Jos\u00e9 <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Abreu has joined the Senadores of San Juan in Puerto Rico&#8217;s prestigious winter ball league, setting the stage for a potential comeback in 2025. This strategic move Allows Abreu to fine-tune his skills, regain momentum, and reassert himself as a formidable force in the baseball world. <\/span>As Abreu readies to join the Senadores for winter ball, his resolve to revive his MLB career grows stronger.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Sources: Jos\u00e9 Abreu signed with the Senadores of San Juan in Puerto Rico\u2019s winter ball.<\/p>\n<p>Abreu will begin his journey toward an MLB comeback in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>He will soon report to the Senadores for the winter season, which starts in early November. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XNwG3RiwvV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/XNwG3RiwvV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francysromeroFR\/status\/1844028878018552061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Jos<span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">\u00e9<\/span> Abreu to Play Winter Ball In Hopes of Comeback Bid<\/h2>\n<p>The 2024 season was a disastrous one for Abreu. After signing a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2022\/11\/30\/jose-abreu-signs-with-astros\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">three-year, $58.5 million<\/a> free agent contract, his production plummeted, leading to a demotion to Triple-A and eventual release by the Houston Astros midway through the second year of the deal. Abreu&#8217;s struggles were evident in 2023, when he hit a lackluster .237\/.296\/.383 slugging percentage. Abreu&#8217;s abysmal .124\/.167\/.195 performance in 120 plate appearances sealed his fate, leading the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/06\/14\/houston-astros-release-jose-abreu\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Astros to release him<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was not an easy conversation,&#8221; manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/e\/espadjo99.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joe Espada<\/a> said after Abreu&#8217;s release. &#8220;What <span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Jos\u00e9 <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Abreu meant to this organization helped us get to another Championship Seires last year. What he&#8217;s done in this game, it&#8217;s not easy.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"x1yztbdb\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x1ji0vk5 x18bv5gf x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\">Abreu&#8217;s tenure with the Astros was expected to be a seamless transition. It was mainly due to filling the void left by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gourryu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yuli Gurriel<\/a> at first base on a team fresh off a World Series championship. The veteran slugger, just two years removed from his 2020 American League MVP Award, seemed like the perfect fit for a seasoned roster with lofty expectations. <\/span><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x1ji0vk5 x18bv5gf x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x1ji0vk5 x18bv5gf x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\">However, Abreu&#8217;s time in Houston marked the beginning of an unexpected decline. <\/span><\/span>In 176 games, Abreu hit .217 with 20 home runs and a .622 OPS, well below his expectations.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"x1yztbdb\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x1ji0vk5 x18bv5gf x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\">Now, Abreu is seeking redemption in the Puerto Rico Winter League, which kicks off in November. The upcoming winter ball season presents an opportunity for him to rediscover his swing and prove his value. Will Abreu be able to revitalize his career and earn an invite to spring training? Only time will tell.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Main Photo: \u00a9 Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a significant step toward revitalizing his MLB career, Francys Romero reports that former All-Star first baseman Jos\u00e9 Abreu has joined the Senadores of San Juan in Puerto Rico&#8217;s prestigious winter ball league, setting the stage for a potential comeback in 2025. This strategic move Allows Abreu to fine-tune his skills, regain momentum, and reassert [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3686,"featured_media":87436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1071,35],"tags":[1731,552,1742],"class_list":["post-87435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-astros","category-mlb","category-news","tag-joe-espada","tag-jose-abreu","tag-yuli-gurriel"],"modified_by":"Matt Graves","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3686"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}