Masataka Yoshida's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida is once again on the bench for Wednesday's contest against the Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Carlos Carrasco. The lefty-swinging outfielder hasn't started a game since April 20 as it's unclear if he is dealing with an injury or is simply in manager Alex Cora's doghouse. He did make a pinch-hitting plate appearance on Tuesday, so it appears to be the latter. The 30-year-old isn't exactly off to a terrible start, hitting .250 with two homers, 10 RBI, a tiny 13.6% K%, and a .708 OPS in 21 games, production that grades out 6% above the league average, as per his 106 wRC+. Rafael Devers is back in the lineup at designated hitter while Tyler O'Neill and Wilyer Abreu are manning the corner outfield spots.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. This appears to be a routine rest day for Yoshida who has been off to a rough start at the plate. Currently, Yoshida is batting .211 with two RBI in five games. The hope is that a night off will help Yoshida get back on track. In his absence, Triston Casas will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth versus left-hander Alex Wood on Tuesday.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that he expects outfielder Masataka Yoshida to get the majority of his at-bats this year at designated hitter. In his first year in the big leagues in 2023, the 30-year-old Japanese outfielder struggled defensively for the BoSox in left field, which has made newcomer Tyler O'Neill the most likely candidate to start at that position for the team in 2024. Yoshida should still be an everyday player, though, and will occasionally make starts in the outfield when O'Neill needs some rest. Offensively, Yoshida didn't show a ton of power (15 home runs), but he had a solid .289/.338/.445 slash line with 72 RBI, eight stolen bases and 71 runs scored in 140 games. There's reason to believe Yoshida will be able to improve, if even slightly, in his sophomore campaign.

The Boston Red Sox are reportedly listening on outfielder Masataka Yoshida, but for now a trade isn't seen as especially likely. The Red Sox have also checked in on free-agent outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler, but there's suspicion they'll be outbid again, maybe by the rival Toronto Blue Jays. Former Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez and third baseman Justin Turner should be candidates to fill Boston's need for a right-handed hitter, but they could seriously consider a less costly option like Tommy Pham, Randal Grichuk or even Enrique Hernandez. The 30-year-old Yoshida showed great contact skills, but his on-base prowess was lacking and he showed only moderate power. His defense is going to need to improve in the outfield if he's going to remain as an everyday player moving forward.