Houston Astros General Manager Dana Brown announced plans to give first baseman Jose Abreu more rest during the 2024 season in an effort to improve his performance. The decision comes after Abreu struggled with injuries and inconsistent play in 2023, hitting just one home run between April and May and dealing with back pain in August. However, he finished the season strong, hitting seven home runs in September.
Brown revealed the plans during an episode of the Official Houston Astros Podcast, Astroline. “The first thing we are going to do with Jose Abreu is to give him more rest. That is, maybe use him more as a designated hitter and give more at-bats to Joe Singleton,” Brown explained.
In 2023, Abreu participated in 141 challenges and finished with an offensive line of .237 / .296 / .383 (AVG / OBP / SLG), with 128 hits in 540 at-bats. He drove in 90 runs, scored 62, walked 42, and struck out 130 times. He also hit 23 doubles, one triple, and 18 extra-base hits.
The decision comes as Abreu approaches his 11th season in the Big Leagues and his second with the Houston Astros. At 36 years old, the Astros are looking to give him more rest to improve his performance in the upcoming season.