Jose Abreu gets overdue ovation in South Side return, though White Sox icon not here to call it quits

White Sox fans’ final glimpse of Jose Abreu as a South Sider was of him opting not to play.

The guy who always posted, despite getting drilled by pitches and suffering the onslaught of bumps and bruises that comes with a baseball season, sat out so he didn’t have to say goodbye.

“I don’t like saying goodbye, because that’s the end,” Abreu said through an interpreter Friday. “That is not how I am. That’s not the person I am. To me, saying goodbye is the end, your life is done. That’s why I don’t like saying goodbye.”

Perhaps that’s why Abreu was so coy when asked about his present and future during his appearance at Rate Field.

There were handshakes and hugs aplenty, Abreu reunited with folks he spent a lot of time around during his nine seasons with the Sox. An undoubted franchise icon thanks to individual accomplishments and rare trips to the postseason, he left as a free agent following the 2022 season.

But while it seemed this return was meant to give him something akin to the sendoff he didn’t allow three years ago, Abreu didn’t want any finality associated with his visit, defiant when asked if he was here to retire with the Sox.

“No, no, no, no,” he said, adding, when asked how he’d like Sox fans to remember his time with the team, “this is not done yet.”

Is that why Abreu’s in town? Not for the team’s Hispanic Heritage Night or its ongoing 125th-anniversary celebration, but to try to talk Chris Getz into a spring-training invite?

Regardless, Friday was for reminiscing.

“My heart always will be with the White Sox,” he said. “This is my place. This is my home. When I was walking in, it was a lot of feelings and memories. This is my home, and that’s all I can say. It’s very special.”

He got the ovation he deserved, with fans standing and cheering as he tossed a first pitch to former teammate Luis Robert Jr. He even grabbed a microphone and saluted the crowd.

But allergic to goodbyes, Abreu chose to focus on hellos during his return to the city that saw the best of his major league career, almost not realizing the impact he had on this franchise.

“The funny thing is ever since I landed here this morning, people started recognizing me in the airport,” he said. “To me, that was moving.”

Perez to the IL

Lefty starter Martin Perez went to the IL with a shoulder strain before Friday’s 4-3 win, ending his season, no surprise considering the way he spoke following his early exit from Wednesday’s loss.

As manager Will Venable had hopefully updated that day, the injury didn’t end up too severe.

What that means for a potential Perez-Sox reunion for 2026 remains to be seen, but Venable spoke glowingly of the presence the left-hander was during an injury-ravaged campaign.

“Really special is how I would describe it,” Venable said. “We started the year and started to hear him really vocally talk about how much he thought about our group. There was some playoff talk in there, which I love. It was genuine, and he believed in this group and believed in these guys and really took on that responsibility of being the dude everyone looks to.

“He was just an incredible leader for us on and off the field.”