Still Not Better – Jose Abreu’s Nightmare Continues as Return to the Astros Comes With a Dubious Record

Has father time really caught up with Jose Abreu? One can’t help but ask that question after witnessing the continued downfall of this former MVP. The Houston Astros star hasn’t been his usual self this season. With a rapid fall in his numbers, the Astronauts were forced to option Abreu. However, when they recalled him it felt like maybe the star would turn back time to become what he once was. Unfortunately, that just isn’t happening. 

Before being rested for Wednesday’s game, Jose Abreu had just 1 hit in his 6 at-bats against the Seattle Mariners. For a hitter who was once renowned for his eye, these aren’t good numbers. More importantly, they’re hinting at a cruel fact—maybe even a minor league stint wasn’t enough to remove the rot that had set in. Just how bad of a rot is it? Chron’s shocking revelation answers that question. 

Jose Abreu doesn’t just rank in the bottom tier of hitters this season, he’s almost the bottom tier this season. When comparing hitters with at least 75 at-bats, the Houston Astros star’s 8 hits rank as the second-worst. The only player with a worse record is Chicago White Sox’s Martin Maldonado, with 7 hits in 86 at-bats. But imagine that even at such bad form, Maldonado has a home run to his name.

Abreu can’t say the same about him. The star has no homers and currently has a -19 OPS+ (once again, Maldonado has it slightly worse). It’s a drastic downfall for a player who was hitting well just last September. How could such a rapid decline set in within a few months? While that is a difficult question to answer, there’s another tough question that needs to be answered: What can the Houston Astros do to fix this situation? Their GM Dana Brown’s latest comments show that the Astronauts could be planning something drastic about Jose Abreu.

Could this be the end of the road for Jose Abreu in the Houston Astros?

While it is tough to imagine Abreu anywhere else, it won’t be surprising if the Astros are forced to take a drastic decision. Astros’ GM Dana Brown had some praises but also hinted at something unfortunate. “He’s a veteran and hope he turns the corner. If he can’t turn the corner we’ll have to deal with it.” Dana Brown said to SportsTalk790: “Going Forward if he doesn’t get hot we’re gonna have to make a decision.”

What decision could that be? There are multiple avenues that the Astros can take here. However, with the team currently struggling, there are some tough questions that they’ll have to tackle. Should the Houston Astros let go of their buyer role for the first time in a long time to become sellers? The team has a great but rather unbalanced roster. And that is something that one can’t ignore.