A Boston Red Sox $90 million outfielder will begin the season with Triple A Worcester.
31-year-old Masatake Yoshida is still recovering from right shoulder labral repair surgery that he had done in October. Yoshida is hitting the ball well but still building up his throwing arm.
As Yoshida continues to rehabilitate that shoulder, he’ll start the 2025 campaign in the minors, per a new report from MLB.com’s Ian Browne on Saturday morning.
“Alex Cora said Masa Yoshida to start his season with Triple A Worcester as he continues to build out his throwing program,” Browne posted to X.
“Specifically, Yoshida won’t play in the WooSox opening home series but he will likely join them in Jacksonville on April 1,” Browne added.
Yoshida signed a five-year deal back in December 2022 with Boston. He’s a career .285 hitter with 25 home runs and 128 RBI.
Boston’s roster is undoubtedly better with a healthy Yoshida in the mix, but at the same time, many have wondered where he fits on the depth chart. The Red Sox are loaded in the outfield with no need for Yoshida to start, and at designated hitter, Rafael Devers is expected to take on the role with newcomer Alex Bregman playing third base.
Is Boston waiting for Yoshida to get fully healthy before trading him? That would make sense, but it would also be wise to keep a stable of outfielders on the roster in the event of injury.
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