BOSTON — With left-hander Bailey Falter on the mound for the Royals on Monday night, Wilyer Abreu treated the minutes leading up to first pitch like he would any other day he wasn’t starting. If he were to contribute, it would be as a pinch-hitter late in the game, so there was no need to start getting ready until midway through the game.
Things changed fast when Roman Anthony, after experiencing “super sudden” discomfort in his back while going through his pregame stretching routine, was scratched and Abreu was inserted into the lineup, batting third as the right-fielder, right before the game got underway at 7:10 p.m. It was a surprise to a packed Fenway crowd when Abreu, not Anthony, ran out to right field in the top of the first.
“Willy found out like two minutes before the game that he was gonna play,” said manager Alex Cora. “Just went out there and did a good job.”
Operating on short notice, Abreu helped Boston open up a big lead early and then hang on for its sixth straight win, an 8-5 victory. He worked a walk against Falter in a five-run first, added an RBI single later on and then made one of the key plays of the game when he gunned down Nick Loftin trying to score from second (and make it a two-run game) on a Bobby Witt Jr. single in the eighth.
“The walk right away, put some good swings. Obviously, the defense, that was a huge play in the eighth. Overall, a great game,” said Cora.
The Red Sox have been diligent about platooning Abreu, who entered the day hitting just .191 with a .588 OPS in 53 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers this year, for the last two seasons. Monday, in emergency duty, represented just his eighth start against a southpaw in 2025. With Rob Refsnyder assuming designated hitter duties against lefties and Cora wanting to play Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela every day, either Abreu or Jarren Duran has served as the odd man out in recent lineup configurations. Duran lifted a three-run homer Monday, too.
“I do believe our lefties can hit lefties,” Cora said. “It just happens we’ve got some righties that mash lefties. We have to play our best lineup out there.”
The original lineup had Duran in left, Rafaela in center and Refsnyder as the DH with Duran hitting seventh. There wasn’t time for the Red Sox to make wholesale changes and drop Abreu in the order (he hit eighth against lefty Framber Valdez on Sunday) so he helped form a different-looking top of the order.
“I tried to get loose as quick as possible,” Abreu said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “Couple sprints, couple stretches and I was ready to go.”
Perhaps Abreu’s biggest contribution to the win came on his clutch throw in the eighth. Kansas City had cut a seven-run deficit to an 8-5 game thanks to a parade of loud contact against Jorge Alcala and Justin Wilson. With two men on, Witt laced a single off Garrett Whitlock but Abreu came up throwing and threw a one-hopper to Connor Wong, who was waiting for Loftin after he ran through the stop sign. Wong was a bit down the third base line when he tagged Loftin, so the umpiring crew reviewed the play to see if he was in legal position. After a quick review — on a play Cora said was “not even close” — the ruling was confirmed.
All credit went to Abreu.
“It’s the best defensive outfield in the big leagues,” said Cora. “We go get it, we’re throwing the ball well, we make good decisions. If you look at the numbers, they’re outstanding.”
Abreu will surely be in Tuesday’s lineup with right-hander Ryan Bergert slated to pitch for Kansas City. A more regular day awaits.
“Today was a very abnormal day,” he said. “I’m glad that I was able to have a great game and we were able to win the game.”
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