Red Sox’ Wilyer Abreu explains viral broken-bat check swing

“I don’t think that’s happened too many [other] times, either, so it just was weird.”

Wilyer Abreu had a bizarre at-bat on Tuesday against Pittsburgh. (Photo by: Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

Wilyer Abreu has seen plenty of bizarre plays take place out at the ballpark over the years.

But the Red Sox right fielder was initially at a loss on Tuesday in what has now turned into a viral moment 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.

But even though Abreu held his up swing and didn’t let the barrel of the bat cross over the plate, the entire piece of lumber still splintered — snapping in two and leaving the 26-year-old outfielder with only a little more than the handle of the bat in his hands.

Abreu didn’t make contact on the check swing, but was assessed a strike as he stood bewildered at the plate.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Abreu didn’t have an exact explanation as to why the bat snapped 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 [other] times, either, so it just was weird.”

But Abreu does have a theory on why the bat broke in such a bizarre manner.

“In the at-bat before, when I hit the ground ball to shortstop, I felt something weird on the bat,” Abreu said. “I felt something with the contact. It didn’t feel the right way. And in the next at-bat, I just broke it.”

However, Abreu said that he didn’t want to switch to another bat — even if it might have been compromised in the previous at-bat.

“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.”

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 Golden Glove for the second year in a row.

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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