Wilyer Abreu has witnessed plenty of bizarre plays over the years at the ballpark, but the Red Sox right fielder found himself at a loss on Tuesday during a moment that quickly went viral on social media.
During Tuesday’s spring-training loss to the Pirates at JetBlue Park, Abreu checked his swing on a breaking pitch from Pittsburgh’s Thomas Harrington that sailed into the dirt. Even though Abreu held his upswing and didn’t let the barrel of the bat cross the plate, the entire piece of lumber splintered, snapping in two. The 26-year-old outfielder was left holding just a little more than the handle of the bat.
Abreu didn’t make contact on the check swing but was still assessed a strike as he stood bewildered at the plate.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Abreu said he didn’t have a clear explanation for why the bat broke like that.
“I don’t know,” Abreu said, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “That was kind of weird. It was the first time that happened to me. I don’t think that’s happened too many times, either, so it just was weird.”
However, Abreu shared a theory on why the bat might have broken in such a bizarre fashion.
“In the at-bat before, when I hit the ground ball to shortstop, I felt something weird on the bat,” he explained. “I felt something with the contact. It didn’t feel the right way. And in the next at-bat, I just broke it.”
Despite this, Abreu said he didn’t want to switch to another bat, even if it might have been compromised.
“I tested it,” he added. “I tried to see if it was broken, but I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t feel anything wrong with the bat. But in my mind, the sound was weird in the at-bat before, but I didn’t expect the bat would break like that.”
Looking ahead, the Red Sox are hoping for a lot more pop from Abreu at the plate in 2026. Despite being limited to 115 games last season due to injury, Abreu slugged 22 home runs and drove in 69 runs while also winning a Gold Glove for the second year in a row.
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2026/02/25/boston-red-sox-wilyer-abreu-check-swing-broken-bat-viral-mlb-baseball/