What Red Sox’s Alex Cora Clarified About Masataka Yoshida’s Role

The Boston Red Sox might experience a lot of late-season roster movement amid the team’s postseason push. Still, manager Alex Cora ensured that left-handed hitter Masastaka Yoshida wouldn’t undergo any role change for the remainder of 2024.

“Nope. He’s not playing the outfield,” Cora told reporters Friday at Comerica Park, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. “He’s not going to play the outfield. He hasn’t played the outfield the whole season.”

When Cora and the coaching staff began finalizing the team’s Opening Day roster for April, it was established that Yoshida would fill ex-Boston slugger Justin Turner’s shoes in the designated hitter’s role — Yoshida played left field for 87 games in 2023. So far, the 31-year-old has slashed .294/.363/.435 with nine home runs, 16 doubles and 48 RBIs in 86 games this season, yet with fellow left-handed hitter Rafael Devers back in the lineup — as Boston’s designated hitter — for Friday night’s series opener against the Detroit Tigers, Yoshida will sit out for the first of three to begin a six-game road trip.

Boston elected to instead play Tyler O’Neill — who’s runner-up for the team’s home run lead (24) — in left field alongside Jarren Duran (center field) and Wilyer Abreu (right field), which removes a potential six left-handed bat from the lineup to combat Detroit right-handed starter Casey Mize. Yoshida hasn’t guarded ground in the outfield since Oct. 1 last season — 10 months and four weeks ago.

Yoshida struggled at the plate throughout June, hitting .204 (11-for-54) with two RBIs and eight strikeouts, but recently, the second-year big leaguer has found his stride at the plate. In August, Yoshida flipped the switch with the bat, hitting .330 (31-for-94) with four home runs, six doubles and 15 RBIs in 26 games. Either way, opportunities will present themselves before the regular season concludes for Yoshida to continue working to make a difference and help Boston slip into the American League wild card.