What’s going on with Masataka Yoshida? The Boston Red Sox haven’t made any of the right decisions with the left-handed hitting outfielder after giving him a $90 million contract.
Unfortunately, things have played out the way they have for Yoshida, who looked to be one of the up-and-coming players in Major League Baseball when making his debut.
Despite being much older than the typical first-year big league player, Yoshida, who was 29 years old at the time of his debut, looked like he had some promise and could stick around in the league for the next five to 10 years.
However, with below-average play and injury issues, it doesn’t appear that he’ll be back at the big league level anytime soon.
According to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, Alex Cora said that he isn’t close to an assignment, a concerning sign as the Red Sox are already 30 games into their season.
Alex Cora said Masataka Yoshida is still not close to a rehab assignment,” Smith said. “Cora said about Masataka Yoshida, ‘Just taking at-bats down there (Fort Myers) and his throwing program.'”
With the current lineup, it’s tough to find a place for Yoshida to play. Perhaps this is working out in the Red Sox’s favor, but if the plan is not to play him much over the next few months, if the Red Sox don’t want him to get injured anymore, a trade now would make more sense.
It’s uncertain if any team of Major League Baseball will want to take on a $90 million contract through the 2027 season, but he’s shown promise at times, posting a 109 OPS+ in 2023 and a 113 OPS+ in 2024.
