Alex Cora said Masataka Yoshida will get ‘the most at-bats’ at DH this season
“I’m not really sure (how many),” said Cora. “And I’m not saying he’s the DH. But out of the group, he’ll get the most at-bats.”
The Red Sox don’t have a full-time designated hitter at the moment, but manager Alex Cora said he has an idea of which player will get the most reps at the position to start the season.
He’s planning on having outfielder Masataka Yoshida, who posted 15 home runs and 72 RBI’s while hitting .289 last season, take most of the at-bats at the DH spot.
“I’m not really sure (how many),” Cora said Tuesday during his first press conference of 2024 spring training. “And I’m not saying he’s the DH. But out of the group, he’ll get the most at-bats.”
Justin Turner, who spent time at DH along with first and second base last year, signed with Toronto last month. Yoshida is one of several players, including Rafael Devers and Triston Casas, who will take at-bats in the DH spot this season according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam.
Yoshida primarily played left field last season. The Red Sox will have two-time Gold Glove outfielder Tyler O’Neill in left this season.
Here’s what else Cora said Tuesday:
Vaughn Grissom has ‘chance to run away with’ second base.
Vaughn Grissom, whom the Red Sox acquired in the Chris Sale trade, will have a shot at being the starter at second base, Cora said.
“We’re going to give Vaughn a chance to run away with the position,” Cora said. “I think athletic-wise, he’s capable of doing it. And now we’ve got to get him up to speed with everything that goes on in that position.”
The 23-year-old infielder is a career .287 hitter in 64 major league games over the past two seasons. He hit .330 in Triple-A last year, with eight home runs and 61 RBIs.
Cora on his future
Cora’s contract is up after this season. He said going into the season without a new deal isn’t bothering him.
“Like I’ve been saying all along, this is where we’re at,” Cora said. “And whatever happens in the future is gonna be a family decision. I’m glad that I’m here. This organization gave me a chance to become a big league manager in the fall of 2017.”
“And then which was more surprising, and I take it by heart, after the suspension they gave me the chance to come back right after that,” Cora continued. “And I appreciate that. I never thought I was gonna be back managing as soon as I did after the mistake that I made, and for that, we appreciate that.”
While he’s not sure how his future will play out, Cora says he can envision a point in time where he stops coaching.
“I’m not gonna manage 10 more years. I’ll tell you that,” Cora said. “I don’t see myself being like Tito (Francona) or Tony (La Russa). I’ve got two boys, I’ve got a daughter that is a junior in college.”
“There’s more in life than baseball to be honest with you,” Cora added. “This is a tough business, and I mentioned it three years ago. I read [Pep] Guardiola’s book and he said that when you spend more than five or six years in once place it can take a toll on you and I think I got hit last year with that.”
Cora said he’s glad he recognized how he was feeling and took steps to correct it in the offseason.
“I felt awful physically last year,” Cora said. “I felt awful health-wise, energy-wise. It was bad. I cannot let a game dictate who I am as a person or what I have to do. I feel really good.”
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