Yet Another Red Sox Star Hits the Injured List

Bad things come in...14s? Appearing on WEEI's Jones & Mego, manager Alex Cora confirmed that designated hitter Masataka Yoshida is going on the injured list. Yoshida will be the 14th player to land on Boston's injured list in 2024.

In 80 at-bats this season, Yoshida is hitting .275 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI with a .348 OBP.

Yoshida injured his hand during Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs and was scheduled to receive further imaging. His injury came after an uncomfortable stretch in which he rode the bench for five days but had returned to collect a 4-5 day on Saturday during a 17-0 Red Sox rout.

Yoshida had seemingly fallen out of favor with Cora, who opted to use other players in the DH spot despite the Japanese hitter entering the season widely expected to be the team's everyday designated hitter.

Coming stateside on a five-year, $90 million deal prior to 2023, Yoshida had also been linked to offseason trade speculation after only one MLB season, but ultimately hung around for the 2024 season. His inability to play the outfield at a major league level has been a major concern, and likely played a role in his availability on the trade market.

Yoshida has only appeared once in the field this season, so replacing his role on the active roster will be limited to replacing his bat, which keeps Alex Cora's options pretty wide open.

This injury-riddled season has hurt Boston's odds of winning the AL East. They currently have the worst odds (+2800) on FanDuel Sportsbook to win the division.

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