Masataka Yoshida will ‘most likely’ begin season on injured list
The injuries continue to pile up for the Boston Red Sox ahead of the 2025 season. Outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida will “most likely” begin the year on the injury list, according to Alex Cora, via Sean McAdam of MassLive.
Yoshida underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason that seemingly will continue to keep him out for the start of the year. The 29-year-old has recovered enough to start hitting, so he has played in nine spring training games, posting a .786 OPS in 28 plate appearances. But, he is still not healthy enough to play in the field.
He could feasibly be the Red Sox’ designated hitter, a spot he’s filled in 150 of his 248 career games. But, it seems the Red Sox prefer to rest him until he is 100 percent healthy enough to play in the outfield, if needed. Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu project to start in the outfield left-to-right, but Yoshida could occasionally need to fill in at a corner spot.
Also, the DH position may already be filled by Rafael Devers, who could soon transition there from third base. Cora even said on Wednesday that it’s unlikely Devers will even take reps at third in spring training.
Therefore, the Red Sox likely want to be able to use Yoshida in the outfield, hence the added recovery time.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
