HOUSTON — Four hours before Opening Night, before his first real game in a uniform other than White Sox black, white or gray, Jose Abreu took early batting practice at Minute Maid Field.
Gavin Sheets had walked over to say hello and give a hug. Eloy Jimenez, did too, and then Jimenez parked himself behind the cage to watch Abreu hit.
“Joking around with my big kid, like I always have,” Abreu said later through a translator.
About eight Sox players and staff, after arriving on one of the team’s buses, walked by and watched Abreu hit. It was Abreu’s work ethic still on display, something they had seen many times before from the teammate who was always one of the first, if not the first, to arrive at the ballpark.
“It will be weird seeing him in another uniform but that’s the business of baseball,” Sox shortstop Tim Anderson said. “Never hate. He’s just on the other side. We texted this morning and I wished him good luck.”
“Definitely kind of weird,” Lucas Giolito said. “At the same time I went out to warm up for my bullpen and he was taking BP off the machine. I was dodging line drives in the outfield.”
Abreu, 36, always said he wanted to finish his career with the Sox, but when they let him walk in free agency, he signed a three-year, $58.5 million deal in the offseason. On Thursday, he was batting fourth in the World Series champions’ lineup. In his first game for Houston, against his former team, of all things.
He struck out in the first inning against Dylan Cease and bounced out to Cease in the fourth.
Weird was the word.
“It’s very weird, but God knows why he does what he does,” Abreu said. “But that’s part of life and part of his plans.”
Before the game Abreu said facing the Sox would be a “challenge.” But he said he was ready for it. Five minutes before the first pitch, he laughed hard goofing around with Anderson, Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert Jr., Elvis Andrus and Romy Gonzalez. There were hugs and smiles.
“I think you put it perfectly, I’m not a spiteful person,” he said. “I don’t have any resentment toward anybody there. The only people that I need to prove to that I can still do it is my wife and my mother, and I think they are with me that I still have a couple good years left.”
Leury Garcia released
The Opening Day roster, reported Monday, was made official not until hours before the season opener. Veteran Leury Garcia, who was owed $11 million over the next two seasons, was put on unconditional release waivers and the contracts of Hanser Alberto and Oscar Colas were purchesed. Left-hander Tanner Banks and corner infielder Jake Burger were optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.
Left-hander Garrett Crochet (Tommy John surgery), righty Matt Foster (flexor strain) and closer Liam Hendriks (cancer treatment) landed on the 15-day injured list.
Gonzalez, not Colas in right
The left-handed hitting Colas figures to be the regular right fielder but Romy Gonzalez got the start against tough lefty Framber Valdez
Colas was given jersey No. 22 after wearing 76 during spring training.
“Romy was a good matchup today,” Grifol said. “Romy had a really good spring. He’s a dynamic player. He’s got a lot of talent.
“A good day for Oscar to settle in a little bit. But just because he’s not starting doesn’t mean he’s not playing.”