What's wrong with Chicago White Sox slugger Jose Abreu?

Much like the rest of the White Sox' offense, Jose Abreu does not look right.

The explosive swing that was so familiar in Abreu's rookie season with the Sox has noticeably tailed off this year. So have the home runs and all the clutch hits with runners in scoring position.

Abreu might lead the White Sox in virtually every hitting category this season, including average, home runs, RBI and on-base percentage, but something does not look right.

If you watch the first baseman/designated hitter at the plate, it is pretty clear to see Abreu's right hand is still hurting.

"It's gotten better, and getting Sunday (July 12) off and then the four days for the all-star break helped him," a Sox executive said. "Before that, for a good two months, the hand wasn't right."

In May, Abreu hurt his right index finger during batting practice and needed X-rays, which were negative. He was held out of three straight games in late May and early June, and Abreu also sat out the last game of the first half, against the Cubs on July 12, with a sore hand and legs.

Before Sunday's game against Kansas City at U.S. Cellular Field, Abreu insisted he is physically fit.

"I'm fine right now," Abreu said through a translator. "I don't have anything to let you know. Physically, I feel good."

A sore hand and legs are not the only reasons Abreu has slipped this year.

The White Sox signed free agents Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera in the off-season to add some needed protection for Abreu, but neither veteran hitter has lived up to expectations.

LaRoche, who has a .220/.320/.367 hitting line with 9 home runs and 33 RBI, has been a huge disappointment.

Despite being less than 100 percent and getting little, if any, protection in the lineup, Abreu said his numbers in the second half will improve.

"In the first half, I just tried to be a little more conservative with my energy," he said. "For this second half, I'm just trying to throw out my energy on the field every day."

Since Abreu is the only legitimate threat in the Sox' lineup, opposing pitchers rarely give him something to hit.

Game after game, Abreu gets jammed several times and then gets worked outside. He has drawn only 17 walks in 336 at-bats and often goes down swinging chasing pitches out of the zone.

"Probably sometimes, I haven't done the adjustment that I have to do to get better results," Abreu said. "That happens during a long season. Sometimes you are struggling. Sometimes you are good. The things you have to try to find is the rhythm and the consistency in this whole season and probably the results this year aren't as good as last year.

"But it's because of me. It's not the pitchers or whatever. It's because of me."

While the White Sox were losing three of four to the first-place Royals to open the second half of the season, Abreu was 1-for-15 with 6 strikeouts. He looked particularly frustrated Sunday after going down swinging in the sixth inning with runners on second and third and 1 out.

"There's probably some of that," manager Robin Ventura said when asked if Abreu's confidence has slipped. "I think he would like to do a lot more than he's doing, so some of that probably creeps in there. You have to just be able to grind through that. It's a long year; he understands that and he's gone through it before.

"This is his second year, so it's part of going through it, how they're pitching you. There's probably a little bit of that, but you still have to be mentally tough and grind through that."