One day after the Boston Red Sox gave a tepid update on injured outfielder Roman Anthony, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow gave a mixed update on injured outfielder Wilyer Abreu, who hasn't played since Aug. 17.

Speaking with WEEI's 'Greg Hill Show,' Breslow said that Abreu is making progress from his calf injury, but he continues to be in a day-to-day mode.

"He's not facing setbacks, I think we're trying to exercise the right amount of caution, but also recognize where we are in the season.... Calves are fickle and it seems like we've been in this day-to-day period for a few weeks now, but he's making pretty steady progress. He's had some aggressive baserunning and swings earlier in the week, and we want to make sure that when he comes back, he's capable of helping us and contributing."

A notable absence

Now 26 years old, Abreu has become an important part of the Boston lineup. Acquired in the Christian Vazquez trade with the Houston Astros in 2022, he's hitting .253 this season with 22 home runs and 69 RBIs in 108 games. He also won a Gold Glove Award for his work last season and is a big part of what the Red Sox do defensively.

The outfield issue

When fully healthy, the Red Sox have five players for four spots. Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Abreu, Anthony and Masataka Yoshida. Only three of them can play the outfield at a time, and only one of them can be the designated hitter. While upsetting to see someone injured, it does alleviate the problem, but with Anthony and Abreu both out, the Red Sox are now undermanned in those spots and forced to get creative with their lineup.

Note: Things become easier when a lefty is on the mound, because Rob Refsnyder plays in those situations.

The outlook

With 10 games to play in the regular season, the Red Sox are now 83-69 and in a tie for the second wild card spot in the American League. They haven't been to the playoffs since 2021 and they remain 2.5 games clear of the Cleveland Guardians, who are the first team out of the playoffs at the moment.

Up next

Boston will take on the Athletics on Thursday afternoon with first pitch coming at 1:35 p.m. ET. They'll take on the Tampa Bay Rays for a new series beginning Friday.