Jorge L. Ortiz

USA TODAY Sports

As he continues assimilating into his new country during a spectacularly successful rookie season, Jose Abreu is starting to get familiarized with a term used in American sports parlance – hitting the wall.

The Chicago White Sox first baseman, so used to hitting balls over walls, seems to be running smack into a figurative one.

Abreu entered the weekend tied for the major league lead in home runs (31) and RBI (86), but he hasn't homered since July 29, has driven in just three runs in August and acknowledged the wear of the major league season has taken a toll.

Abreu was used to playing 90-game seasons in Cuba, from where he defected last August. This year he has played in 106 of the White Sox's 121 games – he had a 15-day stint on the disabled list May 18-June 1 – in addition to 17 in spring training, and a quarter of the season still lies ahead.

"We play so many games, you get to a point you want (the season) to end,'' Abreu told USA TODAY Sports in Spanish. "It's too much, but that's what you have to deal with and you've got to be strong. I've been counting down since the 58th game and we still have (41) left. Wow. It's not so much that you get tired, but you spend so much time away from your family, and I'm a family guy. I want to be with them.''

Abreu will get his wish during the White Sox's six-game homestand that begins Friday. His parents were due to join him in Chicago from Miami the day before, and, along with his fiancée, will accompany Abreu to New York next weekend when the White Sox visit the Yankees.

Jose Oriol Abreu and his wife, Daysi Correa, made it stateside in May and first saw their son play in the majors at the All-Star Game. White Sox catcher Adrian Nieto, a fellow Cuban native who spends time with Abreu off the field, said their arrival calmed him down.

"It's been a big relief for him,'' Nieto said. "He's really close to his family, especially his mother. He's more relaxed.''

Not that Abreu struggled in their absence. He earned AL Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month honors in April, then repeated the feat in July, when he batted .374 with six homers and 19 RBI, becoming the first rookie ever to score that double achievement.

His batting average steadily climbed from the .260 range in early June to over .300 in late July, as Abreu put together hitting streaks of 18 and 21 games. He had a 31-gamer as a rookie in Cuba.

"He's glorified for the amount of home runs he's hitting, but people need to start looking at him as a really solid hitter,'' hitting coach Todd Steverson said. "He uses the whole field; he's not just a pull guy. He has a good idea of what he wants to do. He makes adjustments in games, which is one of the bigger things to do as a hitter in general.''

August has proven challenging, though, as Abreu is batting .262 with one extra-base hit and a .666 on-base plus slugging percentage this month, compared to his season marks of .300 and .959.

There are multiple reasons for the recent stumble. For one, Abreu's exploits are common knowledge now, so he's getting pitched around more. Whereas pitchers tried busting him inside early in the season, only to find out he could turn on their heat, they tend to challenge him less frequently now.

"A guy like that, you try to minimize the damage,'' said the San Francisco Giants' Ryan Vogelsong, who induced three harmless grounders from Abreu as he and his staff mates held the slugger to an infield hit in eight at-bats in a two-game series earlier this week.

"He's a good hitter, he's got power. You try to make pitches to keep him in the ballpark, keep him from getting extra-base hits.''

In addition to the tougher pitching, Abreu is learning how to deal with the endless procession of games while playing for a non-contender and adapting to the demands of frequent travel as a jittery flier.

He's mindful of getting enough rest and maintains a training routine to counter the effects of fatigue. As for his fear of flying, Abreu relies on appealing to a higher being.

"I'm terrified to be up there, and with all those things that have been happening with planes, that has me really messed up,'' said Abreu, who's particularly nervous about turbulence. "Every time we get on a plane I say, 'Lord, please hold up this plane. Let it go up and down normally.' It's really hard. I don't like it.''

But having endured the hardships common to all defectors, including leaving his family behind in Cuba, Abreu has faced worse. He's fond of saying life presents you obstacles and it's up to you to overcome them, and that's the approach he's taking to his current offensive downswing.

Known for his mental toughness, Abreu puts in extra work and takes advantage of tools that were not available to him in Cuba, such as video of pitchers and himself, detailed scouting reports and advanced training equipment.

He also leans on the advice of his mother, who provided the impetus for him leaving the island and the inspiration for his selection of jersey No. 79. Abreu talks to her daily and heeds her sage words.

"When you're down, that's when you need to be your best person and help others,'' said Abreu, 27. "I don't feel good at the plate now. I've lost my rhythm, but I'm working even harder to regain it. I'm not producing the way I'd like to. That happened to me at times in Cuba too.''

And he always snapped out of it, as proven by his career .341 batting average and 1.078 OPS in 10 seasons in the Cuban Serie Nacional, in addition to his distinguished track record at the international level, including the 2013 World Baseball Classic, before signing a six-year, $68 million contract with Chicago in late October.

That history of success, coupled with Abreu's all-fields hitting approach and his ability to adjust, give the White Sox confidence that he'll soon get back to busting walls with his drives.

"He's smart enough to go with the ebbs and flows,'' manager Robin Ventura said. "I think that's what he's learning right now, that it never stops. In baseball, with the way guys pitch, there's not just a set, like here's a blueprint of how you get him out and it never changes. He's been able to change while people are changing all the time. That's why he's having the year he's having.''