As this year's MLB All-Star festivities loom, the Boston Red Sox just announced some huge injury news that the fan base has been dying to hear.
MLB insider Ian Browne is reporting that the Red Sox have activated designated hitter Masataka Yoshida from the 60-day injured list. The veteran slugger will be making his return against the lowly Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night, which will mark Yoshida's first Boston appearance since he faced the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 27, 2024.
Tonight Rafaela will be out of the lineup. Anthony in LF, Duran in CF, Yoshida DH, per Alex Cora in his weekly segment with WEEI.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) July 9, 2025
Yoshida missed the first three months of the season with a shoulder injury, so it's great to see that his woes are officially behind him. Having said that, the 31-year-old DH's return could spell bad news for one Red Sox veteran who's been caught in a rut as of late.
Rob Refsnyder Is on Thin Ice as Masataka Yoshida Returns to Red Sox
With Yoshida having yet to play this season, the Red Sox often deployed Rafael Devers as their designated hitter since Opening Day.
At least, that was the case until Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants last month. Since then, veteran outfielder Rob Refsnyder has handled the brunt of the Red Sox's DH needs, playing eight of his last nine games as of Wednesday without any defensive responsibilities. It would've been great to see the South Korea native capitalize on that opportunity, but that hasn't been the case.
In the nine games (30 at-bats) following the Devers trade, Refsnyder is only slashing .200/.273/.367 with one home run, four RBIs, and a trio of walks. His .639 OPS during that stretch isn't that impressive, nor is his 27.3% strikeout rate. That's fairly disappointing for a once-reliable bat that owned a .307/.400/.533 slash line with four HRs and 12 RBIs in 31 games before that.
Before taking on more DH responsibilities, Refsnyder spent the 2025 season on the left and right sides of the outfield. He'll likely be sent back there now that Yoshida is back; however, finding playing time could be a struggle as Refsnyder must compete against Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, and Roman Anthony for opportunities.
It'll be interesting to see what happens to Refsnyder in the lead-up to the July 31 trade deadline. He's slated to become a free agent at the end of the season, and if the Red Sox already have a good idea that they won't re-sign him, they could trade Refsnyder if it means addressing another roster need.
Either way, it's clear that Refsnyder's future with the Red Sox isn't as secure as it was before Yoshida returned. He can't afford any mistakes if he wants to remain in Boston for the rest of 2025 and beyond.