José Abreu surely knew he was gone on the final day of the 2022 season when he opted to sit and watch the last game of his Chicago White Sox career from the dugout.
Abreu issued a statement through White Sox public relations that morning, explaining he asked interim manager Miguel Cairo for the day off “to enjoy this game with him and have the manager’s perspective.” He then sat at the opposite end of the dugout from Cairo during a 10-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Abreu didn’t want a long goodbye, so he left without any send-off from the Sox organization or the team’s fans. No standing ovations. Not even so much as a wave. What he was thinking that day was anyone’s guess, and he didn’t speak afterward.
