Astros can't afford to give in to Jose Abreu's heartwarming story right now

The Houston Astros signed Jose Abreu to be their everyday first baseman prior to the 2023 season. Yet, he hasn't resmebled the All-Star level player he once was with the Chicago White Sox. Instead, Houston felt obligated to play Abreu regularly through a disappointing 2023 season. Early this year, Abreu was so bad that Joe Espada finally had to pull the plug, sending the veteran first baseman back to the spring training facility to work on his swing and mentality at the plate.

Abreu's comeback story may happen some day, but the Astros really can't afford to let it happen in Houston. The Astros have enough problems on their hands, sitting six games under .500 but somehow just 3.5 games behind the division-leading Seattle Mariners. Houston is still very much in the AL West chase, but bringing Abreu back into the fold too soon could be a step back they cannot afford.

“What I can tell you is my head is in a good spot right now. When I was going through it, when your head is not in a good spot, you feel like everything is going down,” Abreu said, per The Athletic. “There was a point, and I’m telling you from the bottom of my heart, I couldn’t even know how to hit, how to field."

The Astros should give Jose Abreu more time to figure it out away from the majors

While we can certainly appreciate Abreu's honesty, does that sound like a major-league player to you? Abreu's replacement, Jon Singleton, hasn't exactly been lighting it up at the plate, but he provides replacement-level defense and isn't an automatic out. Since replacing Abreu, Singleton is slashing .231/.336/.376 with a .712 OPS. Again, he's not an elite-level hitter, but let's compare his numbers to Abreu's. In 22 games, Abreu was slashing .099/.156/.113 with a .269 OPS. Hard pass!

Abreu has simplified his swing at the Astros spring training facility, something the veteran first baseman was averse to at the outset.

“I was wrong. The most important thing is acknowledging that — be humble and be where your feet are — and get back to where it needs to be,” Abreu said.

The time may come when the Astros need Abreu, but that time is not now. They've made up ground in the AL West ever so slowly. Don't give it back with one bad decision.