The 2024 season has not been a good one for Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu. After a brutal start to the season, the team demoted him, hoping it would help him get back on track. He didn’t go to the minor leagues but to the team’s training facility in Florida where he worked on some things.
The demotion was warranted as the 2020 American League MVP was stuck in a horrible slump. When he was sent down, he had a slash line of .099/.156/.113. Upon rejoining the team on May 27th, his numbers slightly uptick.
Alas, that was a low bar to clear as things couldn’t get much worse. He still hit .167 in 42 at-bats with 10 strikeouts and three extra-base hits. That was enough for the Houston Astros to decide that they had to make a move.
On Friday, it was announced that the team is releasing Jose Abreu. ESPN’s Jeff Passan shared the update, as the team will be eating a ton of money. He was still owed $30 million from the free agent deal that he signed in 2023.
The 37-year-old had a rapid deterioration of skill in his time with the Houston Astros. In his final season with the Chicago White Sox in 2022, he had a slash line of .304/.378/.446. Houston thought they were getting a lethal bat to add to the middle of their lineup; instead, Jose Abreu has been the worst hitter in baseball.
Last season, Abreu had an underwhelming slash line of .237/.296/.383 but he still hit 18 home runs with 90 RBI. He wasn’t going to get close to those numbers this season and the Houston Astros decided that moving on would be the best route to take.
It will be interesting to see if any team brings Jose Abreu aboard to see if they can fix whatever it was that has been ailing him. An everyday job likely won’t be in the cards given his performance this season, but a team needed some veteran presence and potential pop from the right side of the plate could take a chance.
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