SEATTLE — Masataka Yoshida started 98 games at DH for the 2024 Red Sox.
With full-time DH Rafael Devers traded, could the Red Sox bring back Yoshida from the IL as a DH before he’s ready to play the outfield?
The 31-year-old underwent a right shoulder labral repair last Oct. 3 in Boston. His shoulder doesn’t bother him when he hits. He appeared in 11 Grapefruit League games during spring training and batted .286 (10-for-35) with a homer and double. The shoulder has been an issue only when he throws.
“We’re going to meet tonight or tomorrow to go over a few things. Let’s see if we can speed up the process,” manager Alex Cora said Tuesday at T-Mobile Park. “He can swing the bat. Now it’s a matter of him getting at-bats and all that. But at the same time, respecting the rehab of the shoulder. So we’ll decide that sooner rather than later. And we’ll go from there.”
Cora said Yoshida, who has spent the entire season on the IL, would need some at-bats on a rehab assignment in the minors before rejoining the Red Sox.
Devers started at DH for the Red Sox in each of their first 73 games. But Cora on Tuesday vs. the Mariners will go with his second different DH in two games since Boston traded Devers to the Giants on Sunday.
Yoshida is in the third season of the five-year, $90 million contract that he signed with Boston in December 2022. He has batted .285 with a .343 on-base percentage, .433 slugging percentage, .776 OPS, 25 homers, 54 doubles, three triples, 128 RBIs, 116 runs, 61 walks and 133 strikeouts in 248 games for Boston.
“This guy, he’s a good hitter,” Cora said. “We’ve seen it the last few years when he’s healthy. It’s a great at-bat. He hits the ball hard. He takes his walks. I don’t want to get ahead of myself but kind of like a plan on how to use him. We can platoon. We can do all this stuff. Ref (Rob Refsnyder) and Masa together (platooning), that’s a pretty good hitter. So we’re going to be OK. We’re going to be OK in that aspect.”
Yoshida had a cortisone shot in early May after feeling pain in his shoulder while throwing. He threw out to 120 feet Tuesday.
“He’s bouncing back,” Cora said. “He feels confident that this time he’s going to continue to feel better. We’re happy with the progress.”
