May 23--Thanks to some off days at the plate of late, White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu had a day off Sunday.
A day after hitting into two double plays, including one with the bases loaded and no one out in the seventh, Abreu's name was absent from the starting lineup for the series finale against the Royals.
Abreu, who was the designated hitter Saturday, said he welcomed his first break of the year as he tries to break out of a slump that has come to personify the Sox offense as a whole.
"I'm going to take it," Abreu said through a team interpreter. "It's good to have rest for a day. This is probably a day to regroup."
Abreu attributed his struggles this season more to his approach than pitchers' approaches toward him.
His .243 batting average sits 52 uncomfortable points below his career mark of .295. He's 10 for his last 46 (.217) with one home run, six RBIs and 10 strikeouts. His .579 OPS during that span is 301 points below his career .880 number.
Abreu earned American League Rookie of the Year honors and finished fourth in MVP voting in 2014. For an encore in 2015, he became the second player to hit at least 30 home runs and drive in at least 100 in his first two seasons.
"Right now it's a matter of my approach," Abreu said. "I've been swinging at a lot of pitches out of the zone, and that's not my approach. I have to regroup and I have to work to be on my successful path."
Abreu's struggles have mirrored those of the Sox, who are hitting .250 with a .713 OPS through Sunday, eighth and 10th in the AL.
"Just hit the reset button and let him watch and cheer guys on," manager Robin Ventura said. "Sometimes it's better to sit there and watch the game; he just needs a little refresh."
Abreu's teammates are confident their star's bat again will be bright.
"We are not worried at all," third baseman Todd Frazier said. "He'll be fine. He knows what he needs to do. I talked to him a little bit today. We've all been through it."
For Abreu, though, this string of off days is unprecedented.
