The Boston Red Sox have seen Wilyer Abreu’s defense in action. But Alex Cora feels this is going to be a breakout year for the Red Sox right fielder’s power.
The Boston manager predicted the outfielder would hit 30 home runs, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian recently revealed in the latest “Baseball Tonight” podcast.
Abreu hit a career high 22 homers in 2025 after slashing .247/.317/.469 and winning his second straight Gold Glove. But after a huge performance for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic, Abreu is on the verge of becoming a household name outside of New England.
Wilyer Abreu Will ‘Hit 30’ Home Runs This Year, per Alex Cora
Abreu’s power has jumped every year, from 15 in 132 games in his rookie season to 20+ last year. Still, Baseball Reference is projecting Abreu to hit 19 home runs, and FanGraphs has him picked to smash 21 homers.
But according to Kurkjian, who spoke with Cora earlier in camp, the Red Sox manager is bullish on his right fielder. The ESPN analyst shared an anecdote with listeners that could end up being prophetic if Abreu mashes 30-plus homers in 2026.
âI talked to Alex this spring for an extended time, and weâre just talking about his team, and he just volunteers: âWell, Abreu is going to hit 30 homers this year.â Like this is a given,â Kurkjian said. ââHeâs been in the big leagues and won a Gold Glove each of the last two years. [Cora] said ‘Oh, heâll hit 30 this year.”
On the heels of his above-average 116 OPS+ in 2025, Abreu posted an .845 OPS with two homers for Venezuela in the WBC. He hit both homers in the knockout stages, including a solo blast in Venezuela’s 3-2 win over the United States in the championship game Tuesday.
“When you watch him against Japan, and then you watch him [Tuesday vs. Team USA], who is going to question [Abreu hitting 30 homers] now?” Kurkjian said. “Thatâs why the Red Sox are a very dangerous team â because they have a few players like Wilyer Abreu.â
The Red Sox Outfield is Crowded Again
Boston lost nearly its entire starting outfield to the WBC, since Abreu, Roman Anthony (USA), Masataka Yoshida (Japan) and Jarren Duran (Mexico) were all WBC participants.
But with the tournament now over, Boston’s outfield is once again looking crowded — especially with Ceddanne Rafaela expected to be the starting center fielder.
So Cora has some decisions to make in the next few weeks, even though the Red Sox’s roster is all but set ahead of their season opener against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.
Of course Duran has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason, and a trade of the left fielder still may end up happening at some point. But for now, the speedy lefty hitter is expected to be a top-of-the-order bat for Boston.
Boston’s season nearly came unglued after the midseason trade of Rafael Devers last season and will need to tread lightly if it intends to trade Duran this year. But with Kristian Campbell also expected to compete for outfield — he’ll start the year in Triple-A though — Boston’s depth is unrivaled, especially on offense.
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