Abreu has put 88 balls in play as an Astro. Thirty-two of them have exited his bat at 95 mph or harder — the threshold Statcast uses to determine a hard-hit ball.

Abreu has a history of slow starts — his .742 OPS in March/April is almost 100 points lower than his career .838 clip — and he authored a similarly awful April last season. His team, however ...

Jose Abreu hits an RBI single during a game against the Mariners earlier this season. Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports. Espada raved about Abreu’s professionalism and said releasing him was difficult.

Abreu turns 36 in January, though many have speculated he’s older. Either way, a three-year deal could be risky for the Astros. Abreu’s power was down last season, when he hit only 15 home runs.

Jose Abreu during a baseball clinic to children in Havana, Cuba, on Dec. 16, 2015. Abreu is among those who ran 10- and 11-year-old Cuban players through a skills camp as part of a three-day ...

Jose Abreu on life with the Astros and leaving the White Sox, who ‘weren’t a family’ in 2022 “Sometimes,” Abreu said, “when you’re at a place where maybe you’re not being respected ...

Abreu leads the American League with 146 hits and is third with a .307 average but said “this probably hasn’t been my best season, but I still believe in the thing I can do and how I can perform.

The Cleveland Guardians and San Diego Padres heavily pursued Abreu as a free agent at a similar price point, but he chose Houston, in part, for its championship culture. The Astros’ lack of ...

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez (44) receives congratulations from Jose Abreu after hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the White Sox on March 30, 2023, in Houston. Kevin M. Cox / AP ...

Abreu signed a three-year deal with the Astros in 2022 following nine years with the White Sox, where he posted a .292 batting average and recorded 1,445 hits, 863 RBI and 243 homers.

When last seen, Abreu was simply not a MLB-caliber player, recording just seven hits in 71 at-bats (.099 average) while playing mostly everyday. He had a .113 OPS, which is hard to fathom.

José Abreu doubled on the first pitch of his first at-bat with the Chicago White Sox on March 31, 2014, against the Minnesota Twins. “That pitch was right there, so I have to take advantage of ...