Wilyer Abreu was very nearly the hero in the Boston Red Sox's 5-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on August 18. The outfielder lifted a two-run homer and scored Boston's only other run of the game, after which he limped to the dugout.
Abreu was pulled from the game and Roman Anthony took over for him in right field. Abreu was quick to dispel any concerns of a serious injury and said after the game that he felt a cramp in his calf. He also said he expects to be day-to-day, although he may miss Boston's two-game series against the Orioles from August 18-19.
The Red Sox have summoned Nate Eaton to fill in for Abreu while he rests. Chris Cotillo and Christopher Smith of MassLive noted that Eaton may not play unless Abreu needs an injured list stint, or the Sox could make a corresponding move to add him to the active roster. Eaton has appeared in 14 games with the Red Sox this year, with nine appearances at third base, three in left field and one in center field.
Abreu's day-to-day status comes at a particularly rough time for Boston, as it's in the throes of a playoff push and the outfielder has been hot with the bat recently. Abreu is slashing .320/.370/.520 in his last seven games, and it's always tough to lose such a strong defender, even just for a few days.
Red Sox call up Nate Eaton, who has been crushing Triple-A pitching, to fill in for Wilyer Abreu after leg cramp
But Eaton has been mashing the ball in Triple-A. He's batting .290/.373/.483 with an .856 OPS over 94 games on the season, and he has a .365/.420/.667 slash line with three doubles, two triples, four homers, and 15 RBI in August so far. Hopefully, Eaton can continue his offensive tear and fall into lockstep with the rest of Boston's lineup if he finds his way into a game.
It's clutch that the Red Sox have a hot bat to fall back on as Abreu rests. They also could've gone for Kristian Campbell, who's also been heating up lately, with a .286/.375/.429 slash line in August, but the Sox seem in no rush to push him back to the big leagues.