The Boston Red Sox have been without their DH, Masataka Yoshida, since the beginning of May due to a thumb injury. However, it appears he's not far off a return.
Before Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers, Yoshida took batting practice without any pain and spoke about how he felt afterward. Via Mass Live:
“I was able to hit pain-free so that was something I accomplished,” Yoshida said through translator Yutaro Yamaguchi.
And I put a pad in it, too,” he said.
“I think the next step will be to try to ramp it up, the intensity,” Yoshida said. “Trying to get it in more game-setting situations.”
“I’l probably go out on a rehab assignment and see how long that is going to take,” he said.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora is also feeling optimistic about what he saw from Yoshida:
“Now we just take off. I don’t know when we’re going to get him (using) the Trajekt (pitching machine). But as far as batting practice, it should be every day,” Cora said.
Yoshida was swinging it relatively well before going on the shelf. The Japanese slugger was hitting .275 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 24 contests. The 30-year-old also impressed in his debut season in 2023, slashing .289 with 15 long balls and 72 RBIs in 140 games played.
Red Sox offense could use a boost
While Boston's pitching staff has definitely overachieved with a 3.32 ERA, their offense isn't doing as well. The Red Sox rank 13th in runs scored (4.3), 11th in hits (8.3), and 12th in average (.242). Connor Wong, Wilyer Abreu, and Rafael Devers are the only ones consistently producing.
Tyler O'Neill got off to a scorching hot start but he's since slowed down, now batting just .236 with 11 bombs. Yoshida has proven that he can be an important offensive piece for this ball club when healthy. Boston really needs him back.
There has been some criticism of the Red Sox for handing Yoshida a $90 million contract when he doesn't really play the field at all. The only knock on him could be a lack of hitting for power, which would definitely increase his value to Boston given how clogged their outfield is. Trade rumors have circled Yoshida even, but it will be difficult for the Red Sox to offload such a hefty amount of money.
Boston currently sits at 29-29, which puts them third in the AL East and a whole 10.5 games behind the New York Yankees. There weren't big expectations for the Red Sox in 24′ but they could potentially sneak into the postseason later this year as a Wild Card.
O'Neill is now on the IL again with a knee issue, but he doesn't expect it to keep him out long:
“It’s just part of those things over the course of the season that’s manageable,” O’Neill told reporters, per Alex Speier. “But that last week there, it kind of got to a point where it was just getting a little ridiculous and I had to get off my feet for a little bit for sure. I want to help these guys win games and not put them in the other direction there. So I feel like I’ve made the necessary moves to be in a good spot, come back healthy. I like where I’m at right now.”
The Red Sox continue a weekend series with the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
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