Alex Cora Makes This Admission About Masataka Yoshida Injury

BOSTON — Masataka Yoshida’s recovery from offseason shoulder surgery has not gone as planned.

Yoshida told reporters prior to Tuesday’s game against the Texas Rangers that he received a cortisone shot this past weekend in his still ailing shoulder.

Yoshida had hoped to be a full-go by Opening Day, but now over a month into the season, there’s no telling exactly when Yoshida will return. It has left Yoshida and the Red Sox sharing the same feeling about where he is at in the recovery process.

“I know he’s frustrated. I think we all are,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It was major surgery. It was. We haven’t rushed him through the process. We’ve been very patient and we will stay patient with him. He wants to play. We got to get him going throwing-wise. It’s been a challenge. It’s not lack of effort, it’s not lack of resources. I think our guys have done an amazing job. It just hasn’t happened yet.”

The Red Sox want Yoshida, who served as Boston’s primary designated hitter last season, to do more than hit this year. And that’s where the problem comes for Yoshida.

Yoshida experiences pain when throwing out to 120 feet, making him unable to play the outfield. Yoshida said he won’t throw for three days now after receiving the cortisone shot.

“I’m going to have to let it sit and see how I feel,” Yoshida told reporters through translator Yutaro Yamaguchi, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith.

Adding to the frustration of the situation for Yoshida is he appeared in 11 games this spring and showed well at the plate by hitting .286 with one home run and seven RBIs.

Yoshida said hitting is “no problem” at the moment but it’s clear the Red Sox won’t bring him back until he can play the field as well.

“I’m not recovering or making the progress at the pace that I wanted to,” Yoshida said. “Let’s put it that way.”

Yoshida added: “I just want to go back out there as soon as I can. That’s my hope.”