Red Sox circle disappointing decision on $90 million slugger after injury news

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The Boston Red Sox have a lot of reasons for optimism with Opening Day just around the corner.

The team added significant depth to its rotation by trading for lefty ace Garrett Crochet and signing veteran Walker Buehler. It significantly improved its infield by landing top third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency. And it has a collection of young and talented prospects waiting in the wings.

But the roster did take a blow when slugger Masataka Yoshida opted for shoulder surgery last October. Though the team initially expected him to be back by Opening Day, it seems he has not recovered as quickly as they hoped.

Sean McAdam of MassLive reported that Yoshida is not yet cleared to play the outfield following his shoulder injury and that the team is now likely to place him on the injured list to start 2025.

“It has seemed like a fait accompli for the past few weeks, but Tuesday, the Red Sox all but confirmed the obvious: Masataka Yoshida will not be part of their Opening Day 26-man roster,” per McAdam. “Asked … whether Yoshida will open the season on the Injured List, Alex Cora said, ‘We haven’t decided that, but most likely.’”

While Yoshida is one of the best hitters on the Red Sox roster, his Major League Baseball career has been a bit of a disappointment. After signing a $90 million contract with the Red Sox, he’s slashed just .285/.343/.433 in the past two seasons, playing in only 108 games in 2024.

And, since the addition of Bregman, franchise slugger Rafael Devers seems set to become the team’s primary designated hitter. With several other key players now competing for spots in the outfield, it seems Yoshida has become an odd man out, even if he was fully healthy.

“In the bigger picture, when Yoshida is cleared to play the outfield, the Red Sox will have to be creative in finding him playing time,” McAdam noted. “The DH spot will be mostly manned by Rafael Devers, and while Yoshida would like to play more outfield — the shoulder limited him to just one inning there last season – those three spots are spoken for with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu.”

Yoshida would seem like a prime trade candidate given the team’s logjam, but his large remaining salary might make a move difficult to pull off.

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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets. With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.