Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Season debut could be 'sped up'
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Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Yoshida's (shoulder) return from the 60-day injured list could be expedited after the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the Giants on Sunday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. "We're going to meet [Tuesday or Wednesday] to go over a few things. Let's see if we can speed up the process," Cora said, in reference to when Yoshida might make his 2025 debut. "He can swing the bat. Now it's a matter of him getting at-bats and all that. But at the same time, respecting the rehab of the shoulder. So we'll decide that sooner rather than later."
Yoshida served exclusively as a designated hitter for the Red Sox in 2024 and has been operating with no restrictions at the plate since late February, but he's nonetheless remained on the IL all season while he's moved slowly through his throwing program following his Oct. 3 right shoulder labral repair. Because Devers had been serving as a full-time DH prior to being traded, the Red Sox weren't willing to activate Yoshida until he proved that his shoulder presented no issues for him while playing in the corner outfield. However, with Devers now out of the picture, Cora said that the Red Sox are considering bringing Yoshida back from the IL before he's cleared to play defense, with the skipper floating the possibility of using him in a platoon at DH with the right-handed-hitting Rob Refsnyder. Yoshida -- who played catch out to 120 feet Tuesday -- would still be an option in the outfield once he finally completes his throwing program, though the Red Sox likely wouldn't have much of a need for him to play defense. Wilyer Abreu's (oblique) expected return from the 10-day IL this weekend will create a logjam in the outfield that could spill over to the DH spot, but the Red Sox might be able to keep Yoshida's bat in the lineup by handing center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela more starts at second base at the expense of Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton, both of whom have offered little offensive production since the beginning of May.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Making throws from outfield
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Yoshida (shoulder) began throwing from left field to second base Thursday, MLB.com reports.
Yoshida is increasing the intensity and velocity of his throwing, a sign that he has turned a corner in his rehab from a right shoulder labrum tear. The Red Sox are anticipating a return after the All-Star break; however, it's unclear what role awaits Yoshida. Boston recently promoted top prospect and outfielder Roman Anthony, who will need regular at-bats. Designated hitter isn't a realistic option -- Yoshida has served as the DH in the past -- because Rafael Devers has a grip on that position.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Hoping for rehab games this month
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Yoshida (shoulder) said Tuesday that he's hoping to be ready for a rehab assignment by late June or early July, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
Yoshida received a cortisone injection in early May and indicated Tuesday that he was given another one more recently as he recovers from lingering soreness in his surgically repaired right shoulder. He's currently throwing out to 105 feet and feeling better. Yoshida played in some spring training games at designated hitter, but the Red Sox want him to be able to handle the outfield before he's activated from the 60-day injured list.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Increases intensity
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Yoshida (shoulder) has increased the intensity of his throwing program while playing catch out to 75 feet, MLB.com reports.
Yoshida had been throwing out to 120 feet prior to being shut down in April. The club hasn't pegged an estimated return date for Yoshida, other than this report indicating July at the earliest. Even when Yoshida is ready to go, there's no guarantee he has a spot in the starting lineup.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Moves to 60-day IL
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The Red Sox transferred Yoshida (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Yoshida has been on the injured list all season while working his way back from a right shoulder procedure he underwent in October. He restarted his throwing program earlier this week and is still likely several weeks away from beginning a rehab assignment, so his move to the 60-day IL doesn't impact his return timeline. It does, however, open up a spot on Boston's 40-man roster for Ryan Noda, who was acquired from the Angels on Thursday.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Restarts throwing program
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Yoshida (shoulder) has resumed his throwing program and began playing catch at 60 feet, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Dating back to spring training, Yoshida hasn't had much of an issue swinging the bat while he works his way back from October surgery on his right shoulder, but he's struggled to make much progress with his throwing. He seems to have responded well to the cortisone shot he received in the shoulder May 4, but Yoshida will still need to increase his throwing distance and will need to throw at full velocity prior to embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment. With Rafael Devers seemingly locked in as the Red Sox's full-time designated hitter, Yoshida will need to prove that he can play the corner outfield before Boston activates him from the 10-day injured list. The Red Sox don't appear to be considering Yoshida as an option at first base, where the team has a major hole in the lineup after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier this month.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Back to taking swings
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Manager Alex Cora said Friday that Yoshida (shoulder) has returned to taking dry swings off a tee but is not yet throwing, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Yoshida received a cortisone injection in early May to address lingering issues in his recovery from the shoulder surgery he underwent in October, and he's now back to taking part in baseball activities. Most of the 31-year-old's problems have been related to his throwing program, so he'll likely remain without a clear return timeline until he's able to ramp up his throwing with no issues.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Shut down after cortisone shot
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Yoshida (shoulder) said Tuesday that he received a cortisone shot a few days ago and will remain shut down from throwing for three more days, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Yoshida's throwing has not gone as well as hoped as he comes back from right shoulder surgery, as he still feels pain when tossing from 120 feet. He is able to hit without issue, but the Red Sox don't want to return him to the active roster until he's capable of playing the outfield. Yoshida is currently on the 10-day injured list, but with his return nowhere in sight, he's a candidate to be moved to the 60-day IL when/if the Red Sox need to free a spot on the 40-man roster.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Struggling in throwing program
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Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Yoshida (shoulder) could head back to Boston to be evaluated since the outfielder's throwing program is "not going well," Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
The 31-year-old was expected to begin playing in extended spring training games in mid-April but hasn't made the necessary progress in his throwing program. Yoshida could be headed for additional treatment, which would further push back his season debut. He primarily served as a designated hitter last season, but Yoshida needs to be able to throw from the outfield to be major-league ready in 2025 since the offseason signing of Alex Bregman has resulted in Rafael Devers serving as the everyday DH.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Not close to rehab assignment
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Yoshida (shoulder) is not close to a rebab assignment, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Yoshida continues to rehab in Fort Myers and is working on a throwing program. He's not going to be ready for duty in the majors until he's able to make throws from the outfield.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Playing in extended spring soon
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Yoshida (shoulder) will begin playing in extended spring training games next week, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Cora noted that Yoshida currently has good days and bad days with how his surgically repaired right shoulder is feeling and won't be cleared for a formal minor-league rehab assignment until he is throwing at full strength consistently. With Rafael Devers at designated hitter and Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu absorbing the bulk of the outfield at-bats with the big club, Yoshida faces uncertainty with his playing time once he's deemed ready to rejoin the active roster.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Not close to rehab assignment
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Yoshida (shoulder) is throwing out to 110 feet but will not be ready for a rehab assignment next week, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Yoshida landed on the 10-day injured list prior to Opening Day while he continues his recovery from right shoulder surgery, and he also dealt with a more recent back issue. The back problem has cleared up, but Yoshida remains limited to playing catch and Cora noted the 31-year-old will have to show he can make throws from the outfield before he's cleared for games. It's uncertain when that might happen, but Yoshida's return is not imminent.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Resumes baseball activities
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Yoshida (shoulder/back) has been cleared to resume baseball activities and took approximately 50 swings with a bat Saturday, Chris Cotillo of MLB.com reports.
Yoshida opened the season on the 10-day injured list while he continues his rehab program for the labral repair surgery he underwent Oct. 3. The 31-year-old was also managing back tightness at the tail end of spring training, but after a brief shutdown period, he's now resumed focusing on rehabbing the shoulder. Yoshida was able to serve as a designated hitter during the Grapefruit League, but he'll need to complete a throwing program and play the outfield in some minor-league rehab games before being activated from the IL. Cora said that Yoshida is feeling better but still not doing any throwing, so Yoshida's season debut doesn't appear to be imminent.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Managing back issue
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Yoshida (shoulder), who was placed on the injured list earlier Thursday, will head to Boston to receive further consultation for a back injury, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.
The severity of Yoshida's back injury remains unknown, but the team should provide an update once he's checked out back in Boston. Yoshida is already working his way back from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, which limited him strictly to designated-hitter duties in spring training. Provided his back issue proves to be minor, Yoshida should soon be able to head out on a rehab assignment, where he'll likely pick up at-bats both as a DH and corner outfielder.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Hits injured list
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The Red Sox placed Yoshida (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Yoshida still isn't able to play defense as he works his way back from a right shoulder labral repair surgery, so he'll get a late start to the season. He's ramping up his throwing and could be ready to begin a rehab assignment before long. With the Red Sox seemingly committed to Rafael Devers as their full-time designated hitter in 2025, Yoshida could have difficulty finding regular at-bats once he's healthy.
Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Will move rehab to Triple-A
Rotowire
Yoshida (shoulder) will begin the regular season on the injured list and head to Triple-A Worcester to continue with his throwing program, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Once Yoshida's shoulder is fully built back up, he'll likely begin playing in rehab games at Worcester before returning to Boston, though there's still no telling how far away he is from reaching that point. Once healthy, the 31-year-old's clearest path to playing time will likely be as an outfielder with Rafael Devers now set to DH for the Red Sox, though even that isn't guaranteed to result in many at-bats for Yoshida.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Throwing, but not ready for field
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Yoshida (shoulder) threw out to 90 feet Tuesday but still has "a long way to go" before he's ready to play the corner outfield, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Coming off October surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, Yoshida is operating with no restrictions at the plate this spring, as he's made nine starts in Grapefruit League play as a designated hitter while producing a .321 average and .785 OPS over 28 plate appearances. However, because Rafael Devers (shoulders) won't be cleared to play third base before the end of the spring and appears set to open the season as Boston's primary DH, the Red Sox are unlikely to make room on the active roster for Yoshida if he's not an option in the outfield. Yoshida will likely continue to extend his throwing distance over the final week of the spring, but he appears ticketed for a stint on the injured list to begin the season. He'll presumably need to play left field in a few minor-league rehab games before the Red Sox are comfortable activating him.
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