Alex Cora reveals real reason Masataka Yoshida didn’t play outfield in 2024, opens door for more fielding time in 2025
Cora noted Yoshida's arm health wasn't good enough to see time in the outfield last season.
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Masataka Yoshida had a frustrating season in 2024, being relegated to a platoon role in the offense. Even worse, Yoshida didn’t see time in the outfield, so he was a designated hitter who wouldn’t always hit.
Certainly a significant dropoff from Yoshida’s previous role as an outfield arm with a ton of offensive upside. The 31-year-old Japanese product batted .289 in 2023, his first season in the majors. He launched 15 homers and recorded 72 RBIs that season.
2024 was a different story.
Yoshida wasn’t always healthy, and even when he was, he didn’t see nearly the same usage rate in his second season. His batting average didn’t dip too far, just to .280, but he had 159 fewer at-bats in 2024.
At Red Sox Fenway Fest on Saturday, Boston manager Alex Cora finally provided a definitive reason as to why Yoshida was scratched almost entirely from the defense.
“Our outfield defense was great last year, but in a perfect world, if he was healthy, he was going to play the outfield,” Cora told reporters. “The throwing part of it wasn’t there so that’s the reason he actually didn’t play.”
Not playing in the outfield became a talking point of the season, especially considering Boston inked a $90 million contract to bring Yoshida to the Red Sox. Most of that value diminished with his weird usage rate, hence why Yoshida’s name arose in trade discussions as a potential cap-saving measure.
Cora did add that the door is open for Yoshida to return to the outfield in 2025, which could rehabilitate his value, and confidence, in 2025.
That’ll be easier said than done, though, given the stacked outfield Boston is bringing into spring training. They’ll carry Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela as the expected starters, as well as consistent righty platoon bat Rob Refsnyder as a bench option. Not to mention the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Roman Anthony, itching to make his way to the MLB.
So, while Yoshida might be able to return to the outfield if he’s healthy enough, he may still face challenges cracking the Red Sox lineup defensively in 2025.
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