Masataka Yoshida’s spring training seems to get more complicated every season he’s with the Boston Red Sox.
Last year, when it was clear Yoshida didn’t really have a chance to win a starting job, the Red Sox could place him on the injured list as he was recovering from labrum surgery. This year, he’s once again in a rough position in terms of winning playing time, but there’s no convenient way to keep him off the 26-man roster.
Earlier this week, Yoshida admitted that his time with the Red Sox hadn’t been what he had expected so far through three years. MassLive also reported that the Red Sox remained engaged on the possibility of trading him, having received some “tangible interest.”
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Yoshida playing more early, leaving sooner for WBC
Just to further complicate matters, Yoshida has to leave earlier than any of the Red Sox’s other participating players for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, according to a Wednesday report from Sean McAdam of MassLive.
Per McAdam, the Red Sox announced Wednesday that Yoshida will be in the starting lineup for both of the Red Sox’s first two spring training games, so he can get as much of a look as possible before he has to depart. The WBC games stretch from March 5-17, and the Red Sox’s regular season begins on March 25.
“We do know that Masataka Yoshida is going to be in the lineup both Saturday and Sunday as the Grapefruit League gets underway,” McAdam explained. “That’s because he’s leaving earlier than anybody for the World Baseball Classic.”
Part of MassLive’s previous Yoshida report, which was written by Chris Cotillo, asserted that teams might want to see Yoshida play in spring training before making any sort of aggressive move to trade for him.
While it’s not common for veterans to play in back-to-back spring training games, the Red Sox could be hoping to maximize Yoshida’s chances to impress early on, which in theory would give them a better chance of unloading him without having to eat what they deem to be “too much” of his remaining $36 million luxury tax hit over the next two years.
