Boston Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida was unhappy he wasn’t picked to be a routine outfielder, per MassLive. Yoshida only appeared in the outfield once in the whole 2024 season, for one inning.
“If I could play more outfield, it would definitely add more flexibility to the lineup, more variation to the lineup. Being a full-time DH was tough for me. But it was a learning experience.”
In the 2023 season, Yoshida played left field for 84 games. In those games, he made three errors, and had a 98% fielding percentage.
The Sox had put many people in the outfield this year, and some of them weren’t even outfielders. They put Connor Wong, the team’s main catcher and backup first baseman, in the outfield over Yoshida.
Yoshida did decently as a DH, but he definitely shouldn’t be a full-timer. He slashed .280/.349/.415/.765, with 10 homers, and 21 doubles. If he shared the DH position with Rafael Devers or Tyler O’Neill, that’s more reasonable for his abilities.
Yoshida will be undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason, so there may be some time for the Sox to play around at DH to see if they like anyone else at the position to share with Yoshida.
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