BOSTON — Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida had a cortisone shot Sunday after he has continued to feel pain when he throws.
“When I stretch out to 120 feet, that’s when I kind of feel the pain,” Yoshida said through translator Yutaro Yamaguchi in the Red Sox clubhouse Tuesday.
The 31-year-old underwent a right shoulder labral repair on Oct. 3 in Boston. He will not throw for at least another three days after receiving the shot.
“I’m going to have to let it sit and see how I feel,” Yoshida said.
He said the trainers told him post-surgery that he would have to tolerate some pain throughout the 2025 season.
“That’s something that I kind of have to be dealing with throughout the year,” Yoshida said. “At least this year I will have to deal with the pain.”
Yoshida said he still has no issues with hitting. He would be able to be activated from the IL if he only had to hit. He spent last year as Boston’s DH. But the Red Sox plan to use him in the outfield this season with Rafael Devers serving as the primary DH and playing no third base. Boston also has no plans to ask Devers to play first base following Triston Casas’ season-ending surgery Sunday.
“As far as the hitting, no problem,” said Yoshida who appeared in 11 Grapefruit League games during spring training and batted .286 (10-for-35) with a homer and double.
Yoshida had hope at the beginning of spring training that he would be ready for Opening Day. He said there have been no real setbacks.
“But I’m not recovering or making the progress at the pace that I wanted to,” Yoshida said. “Let’s put it that way.”
He’s in the third season of the five-year, $90 million contract that he signed with Boston in December 2022. He has batted .285 with a .343 on-base percentage, .433 slugging percentage, .775 OPS, 25 homers, 54 doubles, three triples, 128 RBIs, 116 runs, 61 walks and 133 strikeouts in 248 games for Boston.
“I just want to go back out there as soon as I can,” Yoshida said. “That’s my hope.”
Manager Alex Cora added, “I know he’s frustrated. I think we all are. It was major surgery. It was. We haven’t rushed him through the process. We’ve been very patient. And we will stay patient with him. He wants to play. And we’ve gotta get it going throwing-wise. It’s been a challenge. But it’s not lack of effort. It’s not lack of resources. I think our guys have done an amazing job. Just it hasn’t happened yet.”
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