The Boston Red Sox's right field depth has been thin in the last week — Wilyer Abreu has been on the injured list since August 18 with a calf strain, Roman Anthony will be sidelined into the postseason with an oblique strain, and Rob Refsnyder is day-to-day after a missed diving catch at Chase Field on September 7.
Refsnyder's injury does not seem serious, and the Red Sox are nearly due for reinforcements. Before its game against the A's on September 8, Boston manager Alex Cora said the team expects Abreu to be back in action during next week's homestand, potentially during its next series against the Athletics (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive).
Abreu's timeline has already been delayed. The outfielder took longer than expected to ramp up his running progression during the Sox's final series in Baltimore and was unable to run until the following series against the Pirates.
Cora said he's unsure if Abreu will need a rehab assignment before he returns to the roster, hopefully soon after Boston's final series against the Yankees from September 12-14. If the skipper's recovery timeline for him is correct, he'll have been out of action for nearly a month. Abreu last played on August 17 against the Marlins, when he went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Red Sox expect to have Wilyer Abreu back in action during September 16-18 series against the A's
Abreu was heating up at the plate just before his injury. The 26-year-old logged eight hits and five RBI In the seven games before his calf strain, good for a .320/.370/.520 slash line in that time. Abreu is batting .253/.325/.486 with an .811 OPS, and he leads the Red Sox with 22 home runs on the season.
Boston also misses Abreu's Gold Glove caliber defense in right field, and Anthony has also defended quite well in his rookie season. Both younger outfielders probably would've caught the ball that rendered Refsnyder day-to-day — not only do the Red Sox need as many bats available as possible, but Abreu or Anthony would've ended the inning and prevented a run on that play.
Since Anthony will still be out for quite awhile and Refsnyder will need more time to heal, getting Abreu back will be a huge boost for the Sox. His recovery has already taken longer than initially expected, so the Red Sox will have to wait and see if Cora's timeline for his return is correct.