Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida had a roller coaster year after the 2024 MLB season. He had to get surgery to repair a torn labrum on his right shoulder. He was placed on the 60-day injured list in late May, in hopes of returning to the team before the break.
After struggling first baseman Abraham Toro was designated for assignment Thursday morning, Yoshida could be the next player who could be on the short leash, and it's not because the Red Sox want him to. He was supposed to be the beacon of light going forward when he returned (along with Bregman), but he's been slumping hard as well. Frustration could be mounting within the front office due to his performance.
Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida is Next on Chopping Block After Abraham Toro DFA
The Red Sox had so many people on the injured list at this time, and still have pieces returning now. With the likes of Alex Bregman returning almost alongside him, those two were the de facto pieces to keep their current hot streak alive. Yoshida makes an immediate impact, going 4-of-8 in his first eight at-bats with an RBI along with it.
After the All-Star Break, he's shown glimpses of what he used to be, but hasn't broken into that consistent bat that he was even from last year. Since then, he's batting only .239, with an OPS of .657, and has 16 hits in 67 ABs (20 games). While the hits can pile up, it's only happening once a game. He has failed in clutch situations this year. That was his bread and butter throughout his entire career.
The Red Sox had signed Yoshida to a five-year deal, worth $90 million, in the offseason heading into the 2023 season. He batted .289 in his rookie season in America, with 15 home runs, 72 RBIs, 155 hits, 33 doubles, three triples, and 34 walks in 580 plate appearances (537 ABs) in 140 games. That was his best season so far, but he has yet to tap into what he was then.
This stretch until the end of the season could be a make-or-break time for his future in Boston. He needs to prove that he is worth more than what he is right now, and he needs to find the Yoshida that everybody loved from Japan when he signed. That version of him was the most welcomed and beloved player in Beantown, but now he's becoming a Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Red Sox fans can't go through that again.