The Boston Red Sox have to make a statement with their outfield structure. Manager Alex Cora has been trying to work with the logjam in that outfield, consisting of players like Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Rob Refsnyder, and the returning Masataka Yoshida.
So far, Cora's been making the hard decisions for the organization, and it's more of in spite of their actions to do nothing of the sort to fix it, at least so far. That could very well change within the next few days leading up to the MLB trade deadline.
Duran was looking to be the centerpiece of a trade, but now, due to many reports of the Red Sox rejecting or flat-out not making Duran available in discussions, the focus has shifted to the struggling Masataka Yoshida.
Red Sox Must Cut Ties with DH Masataka Yoshida at Trade Deadline
Since 2023, Yoshida's been a career .283 hitter, and has hit 25 home runs with 129 RBIs, with an OPS+ of 109 in his 2 years and change. His pedigree is pure, but that's when he's on the field. The problem is just that: He's been having trouble staying on it. Back in October, he underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum and didn't return until the Wednesday before the All-Star Break.
This injury, along with past injuries, and the fact that Yoshida can't perform well in the outfield, may be the time to shed some salary and pay the piper. Regardless of whether they will get rid of him or not, the 32-year-old DH has been a liability since his return. Yes, he just came back, but is he ever going to be what he's supposed to be?
In 2023, then-CBO Chaim Bloom signed Masa to a five-year, $90 million contract. He, along with Craig Breslow, was banking on him being what he was in Japan. So far, he hasn't quite lived up to the billing. His debut season was his best so far, recording a .285 batting average with 15 HRs, 72 RBIs, and only 81 strikeouts in 140 games.
In his first 11 games (37 at-bats) this season, he's only slashing .216/.237/.297 with one RBI and a stolen base.
The Red Sox will most likely wait until the last day or two to figure out what they want to do. Perhaps they'll start to get more serious about making moves on Wednesday, the trade deadline eve. Whether that's including Yoshida is another story, but it's highly recommended and suggested by fans.