Musing about a super Masa black hole.
Three years into the Masataka Yoshida contract we’re no closer to understanding his fit on the Red Sox. He’s been worth 2.8 bWAR across his career in Boston split right down the middle into two seasons of 1.4 WAR each. This did include 32 additional games played in his rookie 2023 season over his injury-shortened 2024 campaign.
Yoshida played exactly one inning in the outfield last season while serving as a permanent DH.
At some point he hurt his shoulder and required surgery over the past winter. So far the rehab process has not been encouraging.
Cora had said over the weekend that Yoshida was not close to a rehab assignment.
Although during Spring Training “[the] outfielder appeared in 11 Grapefruit League games… He batted .286 (10-for-35) with a homer and double.”
With Rafael Devers installed as the DH and also hitting from the left side of the plate, the 2024 plan would seem to be out the window.
Considering that he played in a good amount of Spring Training games one has to wonder: is the shoulder an issue for hitting, or to return to the outfield where, only last year, Alex Cora saw him as an option in only the most “break glass in case of emergency” situation?
The surgery and rehab process for position players isn’t like getting Tommy John with a year of recovery time… it’s just an injury. For the surgery Masa had, he’s eligible for a 20-day rehab assignment. Which is why he’s been just biding his time in Fort Myers still trying to feel better. If he goes to Worcester, the clock starts ticking.
One thought that simply has to be considered is whether the Sox are manipulating the IL for additional roster flexibility. MLB has tried to crack down on this several times so it’s a risky game to play. And he did have surgery so potentially there’s a long recovery because no one’s arms are the same.
So what do they do with a guy who has hit .280/.349/.415 in Boston with 15 and 10 home runs?
Bring Him Up
Somehow this is probably the least likely option barring a rash of injuries. If the shoulder was part of why Yoshida DH’d last year then maybe he could find some time in the outfield, but there’s no room on the bench for a fifth outfielder who can only play left. Devers is the DH.
Trade Him
Masa is making $18.6 million this season and each of the next two. And he might be a DH-only player. That’s not really the strongest pitch. While he’s certainly useful As a DH with good control of the strike zone, the Red Sox would need to eat a lot of cash to make this happen.
Make Him Rusney Castillo 2.0
Outright Yoshida to the minors and kick him off the 40-man roster? It was crazy the first time and it’s a crazy idea now. If there’s some amount of money to pay to send him off for anything the team can use, that would be better for everyone. Well, everyone except the accountants looking for “one weird trick.”
Option Him to the Minors
After a 20-day rehab stint the Sox could always seek Yoshida’s permission to option him to the minor leagues. Maybe he gets regular at bats in Worcester and plays some left field to show that he’s still got that club in his bag? It’s tricky and Masa has no reason to accept, but it might be his ticket to reestablish value.
It’s an unfortunate situation for the player who picked a team that, to be fair, probably overpaid under Chaim Bloom for this one player while being extremely cheap otherwise. Does that mean he should have to toil around the minors? Not really. Heck the Angels could probably use him. Or the White Sox. Or the Colorado Rockies. Or the Miami Marlins who could face action from the MLBPA over not spending enough this year and are also probably going to shed more salary at the deadline.
With Duran, Rafaela, Abreu, Refsnyder, and, lurking, Roman Anthony, there just isn’t a clear place for Masataka Yoshida in Boston anymore. But before he goes anywhere he probably needs to return to the field, some way, somehow.