Astros send former MVP José Abreu down to minor leagues to work on swing amid slump

Three-time MLB All-Star José Abreu has been sent down to the minor leagues.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown announced that Abreu, who won the American League's Rookie of the Year Award in 2014 and the AL Most Valuable Player Award in 2020 while playing for the Chicago White Sox, will head to the Astros' Triple-A affiliate in West Palm Beach, Florida, to "get his rhythm and timing back" at the plate.

“We met with José (Abreu) on this, and we both agree that this move will be good for him and for the team in the long run,” Brown said Tuesday. “We are confident that a change of scenery and a new environment will help him get his rhythm and timing back. José is a team-first guy, and we applaud him for this. We know what this guy can do, and we’re confident in his determination and work ethic.”

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Abreu, 37, is hitting a career-low .099 through 22 games this season, his second with the Astros. In 77 plate appearances so far, Abreu has only recorded seven hits, three RBI, three walks, no home runs and 18 strikeouts.

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"You know what's been the hardest thing for me? And I say this from the bottom of my heart — I feel embarrassed," Abreu said in Spanish last week during the Astros' Mexico City series against the Colorado Rockies. "The people in this organization brought me here to do a good job. I haven't done that. The hard thing, too, is that my teammates see that I haven't done my job, although they've always supported me, always been by my side. But I won't stay down."

Brown said Abreu was "unselfishly on board" with the move, which will go into effect Wednesday. Brown added that this is only temporary and that the Astros want Abreu to get "back to what he was doing last year."

"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, 'You know what? Let's go down, let's make some adjustments, let's get the rhythm and timing back,'" Brown said. "I think in his eyes, he's looking at it as, 'I'll be back in a couple weeks or whatever it takes to get better.'"

Abreu signed a three-year deal with the Astros in 2022 following nine years with the White Sox, where he posted a .292 batting average and recorded 1,445 hits, 863 RBI and 243 homers. His production dropped when he joined the Astros. Last season, he racked up 128 hits, 90 RBI and 18 home runs in 141 games.

The Astros have gotten off to a rough start this year, starting the season 9-19.