SEATTLE – The trade of Rafael Devers to the Giants could pave the way for Masataka Yoshida to return to the Red Sox sooner than anticipated.
With the DH spot now open, it isn’t as important for Yoshida to complete the throwing program that would allow him to play the outfield before he is activated.
“We’re going to meet tonight or tomorrow to go over a few things, and let's see if we can speed up the process,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora before Boston's 8-0 loss to the Mariners. “We know that he can swing the bat. Now, it's a matter of him getting at bats [on a rehab assignment] and all that, but at the same time respecting the rehab on the shoulder. So we'll decide that sooner rather than later, and we'll go from there.”
One scenario that appeals to Cora is a platoon at DH with the left-handed-hitting Yoshida and righty Rob Refsnyder.
“Oh, I mean, this guy is a good hitter. We've seen it the last few years, when he's healthy. It's a great at-bat. He hits the ball hard. He takes his walks,” Cora said of Yoshida. “I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I have a plan of how to use them. We can platoon. We can do all this stuff – Ref and Masa. Together, that’s a pretty good hitter, right? So we're gonna be OK.”
Last season, Yoshida was used exclusively as a DH due to a right labrum injury that wasn’t disclosed until shortly before he underwent surgery in the offseason.
In Spring Training, Yoshida played in 11 games and got 35 at-bats at DH, but didn’t break camp with the Red Sox due to his inability to play the field.
For weeks, he struggled to build up his throwing program, which was put on hold for a while following a cortisone shot in May.
But Yoshida is finally turning a corner, and is throwing at 120 feet.
“He’s bouncing back [now],” said Cora. “He feels confident that this time, he's going to continue to feel better, and we're happy with the progress.”
In the meantime, the Sox are going with a rotating system at DH following the departure of Devers. Kristian Campbell was in that spot in Monday’s 2-0 win and Refsnyder got the nod on Tuesday.
Another wrinkle will be added to Cora’s daily decisions when right fielder Wilyer Abreu -- who began a rehab assignment Tuesday -- is activated from the injured list on Friday in San Francisco.
Roman Anthony, MLB’s No. 1 prospect, has been starting in right field during Abreu’s absence. It remains to be seen exactly how Cora maneuvers his outfield upon Abreu’s return to action.
“We’re about to see. Wily’s gonna play a lot of defense,” Cora said. “We’ll use the DH to our advantage. Sometimes, Jarren [Duran] will need some days off his feet. Roman can play center. We'll maximize the roster. We’ll do that.”