Abreu looks 'mentally fresh' in return to Astros lineup

SEATTLE -- It only took five pitches for veteran first baseman José Abreu to be welcomed back to the Astros after 25 games away. Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford ripped a grounder past Abreu at first base on the fifth pitch thrown Monday night by lefty Framber Valdez, turning into a double and eventually a run in the first inning.

“Lucky that ball did not hit him in the mouth,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “That was a bad hop.”

After an eventual start, Abreu’s return to the Astros from his Minor League assignment was met with positive reviews from Espada, who saw better at-bats from the former AL MVP in a 3-2 loss to the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Abreu, batting eighth, went 1-for-3 with an RBI single -- only his fourth RBI of the season.

Abreu, who spent most of May working out at the team’s Minor League facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., after agreeing to be optioned following a woeful April, struck out looking in his first at-bat in the third, before his single to right in the fifth. It had an exit velocity of 102.3 mph off a Bryce Miller fastball. Abreu lined out to shortstop to end the seventh and was on deck when Jon Singleton struck out to end the game.

“I thought he was in a much better place with his balance,” Espada said. “I thought his body moved really well. He hit that ball into right-center field. He was aggressive. He got on top of that fastball. That was very good to see.”

The Astros went 15-10 without Abreu in the lineup, surging up the standings in the American League West (Monday’s loss dropped them 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Mariners). That had as much to do with their starting rotation getting healthy and their bullpen falling in line as it did with anything else. Singleton did a nice job filling in for Abreu at first base, but Abreu was back at his position Monday.

“It looks like he lost some weight,” Espada said. “You can tell. He just looks better, but for me it was more how mentally fresh he looks. He just seems to be in a much better place and seems happy and he’s excited to be back with the club and his teammates. We’re all excited to have him back.”

Espada didn’t commit to Abreu getting everyday at-bats at first base going forward, but it’s likely the Astros will play him as much as they can to see if the changes he made while he was in Florida and during two games this weekend at Triple-A Sugar Land have made a difference.

“I just need to get my hands to where they need to be so I can be in the best position to strike the ball,” Abreu said prior to Monday’s game. “I don’t think we need to overcomplicate things. That’s what I was working on down there with [assistant hitting coordinator] Rene [Rojas], just getting my hands to the correct position.”

Abreu was hitting .099 with a .269 OPS, one extra-base hit and three RBIs in his first 22 games before agreeing to be optioned to the Minor Leagues. It’s rare for a player with his experience and his stature to agree to be optioned, but Abreu is prideful and knew his career was on the line. What’s more, the Astros are paying him $58.5 million over three years.

“Obviously, the results weren’t there, but we found what we wanted to find,” Abreu said. “We found where we need to be to be able to compete.”

Upon his arrival at the ballpark Monday, Abreu and Espada talked about the changes he had made, but both say the subject of playing wasn’t broached. Considering how much the Astros have invested in Abreu -- not only financially but by sending him to Florida to try to save his career -- the veteran is going to be given every chance to show he can still be an impactful player.

“I think José is all in,” Espada said. “I think he understands where we’re at and for us to see if those changes he made are working, he’s got to play.