The Houston Astros are sending Jose Abreu, the 2020 AL MVP and 2014 Rookie of the Year, down to A-ball amid his .099 batting average early in the season.
In his first 10 seasons in the Major Leagues, Jose Abreu was named to three All-Star Games, earned three Silver Slugger Awards, and won an MVP in the truncated 2020 season — soon, he is in A-ball.
The Houston Astros announced on Tuesday they will send the first baseman down to the minor leagues on Tuesday as he continues to struggle at the Major League level.
Abreu signed a three-year deal worth nearly $60 million with Houston prior to the 2023 season, and he posted career-lows with a .237/.296/.383 slashline — in 22 big league games this season, he's hitting .099.
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General manager Dana Brown said the decision was made after a meeting that included himself, Abreu, coaches and front-office personnel — as Abreu is long-non-arbitration eligible, he needed to accept the option.
Brown said Abreu was very receptive during their conversation and had a good attitude about the move.
"José Abreu is an outstanding human being," Brown said. "He is unselfish and he’s a teammates guy and he wants to get himself back to what he was doing last fall. And so, in the midst of this conversation, you could see that this guy is passionate and determined to get back to helping his team.
"And so he unselfishly was on board with an agreement with going back to West Palm Beach and getting some extra at-bats, getting some detailed instruction on what we could do to get him back," Brown continued.
"He got to the point where he was frustrated," Brown added. "It’s rare to do it. But I think it tells us about his dedication and commitment and I don’t think he sees this as a long-term and I don’t think we see it as a long-term thing. I think it’s more like... let’s go down, let’s make some adjustments. Let’s get the rhythm and timing back. And I think in his eyes, he’s looking at it as, ‘I’ll be back in a couple of weeks or whatever it takes to get better.’"
He has just one extra-base hit and three RBI in the young season.
It's not just Abreu who is struggling in Houston — the Astros entered Tuesday at 9-19.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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