The Houston Astros optioned former AL MVP José Abreu to the minor leagues to work on his swing amid a .099 start at the plate.
General manager Dana Brown announced the news to reporters on Tuesday, noting that the decision was mutual between Abreu and the team. Abreu will join Houston’s Florida Complex League affiliate in West Palm Beach.
“We need to get some production out of first base,” Brown said. “We’ll do whatever it takes. We have players on the roster who have played first base before.”
Brown acknowledged that the decision to send a former MVP to the minor leagues is “a rare thing” and praised Abreu for being willing to make the change.
“It says a lot more about the human being that he was frustrated. He was using it. If you’ve been around these athletes for a number of years, you can tell when they’re frustrated. … You take it home with you.
“It’s rare to do that. But I think it shows us your dedication and commitment.”
Brown also noted that the team and Abreu hope the move is not long-term.
“I don’t think he sees it as a long-term thing and I don’t think we see it as a long-term thing. I think it’s more like ‘you know what; let’s get down, let’s make some adjustments, let’s get our rhythm and tempo back.’
“I think in his eyes he’s looking at it as ‘I’ll be back in a few weeks or whatever it takes to get better.”
Abreu’s struggles since joining the Astros in $58.5 million deal
Abreu, 37, is in his second season with the Astros. He joined the team as a free agent in 2022 on a three-year deal worth $58.5 million. He spent his previous nine MLB seasons with the Chicago White Sox, where he was a three-time All-Star. He won AL MVP in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season while leading the league in hits, RBI, slugging percentage and total bases. He was also an AL RBI champion in 2019.
Abreu struggled in his first season in Houston with a career-low .237/.296/.383 slash line. These struggles were exacerbated in 2024, when he started .099/.156/.113 at the plate. He has seven hits and 18 strikeouts in 77 games. He acknowledged his struggles in an ESPN story published Tuesday.
“Do you know what was most difficult for me? And I say this from the bottom of my heart – I feel ashamed,” Abreu said in Spanish, through translation. “The people in this organization brought me here to do a good job. I did not do it.
The difficult thing is also for my teammates to see that I didn’t do my job, although they have always supported me, they have always been by my side. But I’m not going to stay down.”
The Astros, meanwhile, are off to a 9-19 start and are in last place in the AL West after seven consecutive seasons of playoff appearances, including two World Series championships. Houston is in its first season under rookie head coach Joe Espada. He previously was a bench coach for head coach Dusty Baker, who retired in October.
Backup Jon Singleton was in Houston’s lineup at first base for Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. Brown told reporters that Espada will “put the pieces together” in terms of building a lineup moving forward without Abreu.
“There’s certainly some guys here who can play first base.”
