The Boston Red Sox and manager Alex Cora made a massive announcement on Thursday on WEEI Radio, naming Rafael Devers, the club’s former third baseman, the team’s full-time designated hitter for the 2025 MLB season. Early in spring training, Devers met with reporters at a press conference and clarified his intentions, saying he wanted to remain the everyday third baseman for the Red Sox.
However, with the emergence of newcomer Alex Bregman, who won a Gold Glove Award at third base with the Houston Astros in 2024, Cora and his staff decided to go this route. With Bregman at third and Devers at designated hitter, one Red Sox player’s future with the team becomes indistinct.
Since joining the Red Sox in 2023, Masataka Yoshida has started 147 games as Boston’s designated hitter in his 248 career games. Yoshida can play the outfield, too, but he’s rehabbing from a right shoulder labral repair surgery in October. If Yoshida’s shoulder limits him in the outfield, his value as a player on the Red Sox will decrease. Presumably, Cora will not put him in the lineup over Devers daily. That may be one reason Boston.com’s Conor Ryan predicts the Red Sox will trade Yoshida during the season. Ryan recently released his 10 2025 Red Sox predictions.
“In a smaller move, the Red Sox ultimately eat a majority of Masataka Yoshida’s contract and move him to a National League team in May,” Ryan wrote. “Yoshida still holds value at the plate, but his defensive shortcomings and the need to give Devers the lion’s share of reps at DH limits his value.” Yoshida is no slouch at the plate, posting an OPS+ of 112 with just 52 strikeouts in 421 plate appearances in 2024, but his defense leaves much to be desired. His Baseball Savant page ranks the 31-year-old’s arm strength in the 52nd percentile and his spring speed in the 22nd percentile in 2023.
With Yoshida out the door, Cora’s job to find him time in the lineup would become more manageable, and a large handful of at-bats will not be taken away from either Devers or corner outfielders like Wilyer Abreu or Rob Refsnyder.
