Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida Head To Bench Saturday Night
Boston Red Sox outfielders Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida will head to the bench Saturday night for their tilt against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Veteran Rob Refsnyder will spell Abreu in the outfield, and Tyler O'Neill will DH for Yoshida. Abreu is hitting .260 with eight home runs, 29 RBI, seven stolen bases and 35 runs in 251 plate appearances. Yoshida is hitting .260 with four home runs, 24 RBI, zero stolen bases and 20 runs scored in 194 plate appearances. Both players should return to the starting lineup tomorrow for the series finale.
Boston Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida will retreat to the bench on Friday for the series opener against the visiting Kansas City Royals and left-handed starter Cole Ragans. Tyler O'Neill will serve as the DH and bat third for the BoSox, with veteran Rob Refsnyder starting in right field and batting leadoff. Despite hitting a strong .333 (15-for-45) with two home runs, two doubles and 11 RBI in the last 14 days, Yoshida will hit the bench on Friday against a southpaw. Against lefties in 2024, the Japanese left-handed slugger has gone just 6-for-41 (.146) with two of his four home runs and six strikeouts in 44 plate appearances. Refsnyder will once again be in play as a deep DFS sleeper out of the leadoff spot despite his lack of power. In 83 plate appearances against lefties this year, the 33-year-old has hit .309 (21-for-68) with three of his four long balls.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida had a big game in Thursday's blowout victory versus the Oakland Athletics. Yoshida went 3-for-4 on the evening with a two-run homer and four RBI on the day. Yoshida has really been hitting the ball well of late, with 15 hits over his last 45 at-bats for a pair of homers and 11 RBI. For the season, Yoshida is now hitting .265 with four homers and 24 RBI in 166 at-bats. The 30-year-old missed some time earlier in the season with a left thumb sprain, but returned June 11 and looks to be completely healthy with the way he's swinging the bat of late. After an impressive rookie season in 2023, Yoshida makes for a fine third outfielder or utilityman in deeper mixed leagues.
Masataka Yoshida Smacks Ninth-Inning Game-Tying Home Run On Friday
Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida finished 1-for-4 on the evening, the one hit being a game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning Friday in a 5-3 extra-inning victory over the New York Yankees in the Bronx. The Red Sox were down to their last strike when Yoshida silenced the New York crowd when he took a low and in sinker on a 3-2 count and golfed it 405 feet into the right field bleachers. Ceddanne Rafaela followed that up with a leadoff two-run home run in the 10th inning to secure the come-from-behind win for the Sox. After an underwhelming first half of the season for Yoshida, with only two home runs and a .246 batting average, the 30-year-old's bat is starting to heat up. In a short sample size in July Yoshida is 6-for-17 with a home run and five RBI. Unfortunately, it isn't enough to warrant picking him up on waivers quite yet, but if he keeps this hot streak up he could be a solid add in deeper leagues, despite not getting many at-bats versus left-handed pitchers.
Masataka Yoshida Could Start Rehab Assignment This Week
When asked if outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (thumb) could be ready for a minor-league rehab assignment when the Boston Red Sox leave for Chicago to play the White Sox later this week for a series that runs Thursday through Sunday, manager Alex Cora said, "Hopefully. Hopefully." Yoshida was able to take live batting practice on the field on Sunday and is getting closer to returning from a left-thumb strain that has kept him out since April 28. Once Yoshida starts his rehab assignment, he might only need several games before the Red Sox reinstate him from the 10-day injured list. Before his injury, Yoshida was serving as Boston's primary DH against right-handed pitching. The 30-year-old Japanese outfielder's strength is his ability to make contact and get on base. Through his first 164 big-league games, he's hit .287/.339/.438 with 17 homers, 83 RBI and eight steals for Boston.
Masataka Yoshida Set To Take Batting Practice Saturday
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said before Friday's series opener against the visiting Detroit Tigers that outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) is scheduled to take batting practice on Saturday. It'll mark the first time Yoshida has done so since he was placed on the injured list a month ago due to a strained left thumb. If he is able to take batting practice without discomfort, Yoshida expects to ramp up toward a minor-league rehab assignment soon and could return to the Red Sox at some point in June. Even though the 30-year-old left fielder felt like a fantasy bust before he got hurt, Yoshida was batting a healthy .275 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 runs scored through 24 games (80 at-bats) as Boston's primary designated hitter and can chip in across the board when available. With Yoshida on the shelf, veteran sluggers Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper are platooning for ABs at DH but aren't viable fantasy options.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) started hitting off of a tee earlier this week. The 30-year-old avoided surgery on his thumb, but he had been fully shut down from swinging a bat. It is nice to see him starting to show progress in his recovery. Yoshida has not played since April 28 and is likely still weeks away from returning. He was slashing .275/.348/.388 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 runs scored at the time of the injury. It will be interesting to see what the Red Sox do when he returns as their other outfielders have been relatively productive in his absence.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) got a third opinion on his left-thumb injury on Thursday and told two Japanese media members that he won't need surgery. Yoshida received good news after being placed on the injured list with a strained left thumb, and avoiding surgery will be huge in terms of a quicker return to Boston's lineup. The 30-year-old is eligible to come off the IL now, but he's not close to a return. We'll give you updates on Yoshida's progress with his injured thumb as he progresses. In the meantime, the contact artist and primary DH for the Red Sox should be stashed in most fantasy formats. At the time of his unfortunate thumb injury, he was hitting a strong .275/.348/.388 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored in 80 at-bats. Rob Refsnyder will likely be the biggest beneficiary for Boston until Yoshida is able to return.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) will get a second opinion on his injured left thumb, according to manager Alex Cora. Yoshida strained his left thumb last Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, and the club isn't ruling out surgery. There's no clear timetable for when the 30-year-old left-handed hitter will be able to return, but obviously he'll be facing an extended absence if he's forced to go under the knife. For now, fantasy managers must stash Yoshida in an IL spot until we know more. Before the injury, he was slashing .275/.348/.388 with two home runs and 11 RBI over 89 plate appearances. In the short term, Garrett Cooper, Bobby Dalbec and Dominic Smith could all see time as the team's designated hitter.
The Boston Red Sox's medical staff is still gathering information on outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida's (hand) injury, and surgery isn't being ruled out. Yoshida jammed his left thumb in Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs and landed on the injured list on Wednesday with a left-thumb sprain. If surgery is needed, he'll obviously need to miss extended time, but a specific timetable probably won't be known until after he goes under the knife. Until Yoshida is able to return, the newly acquired Garrett Cooper figures to serve as Boston's primary designated hitter. The 30-year-old Tanaka continues to make plenty of contact and is currently hitting .275 (22-for-80) with a nice .348 on-base percentage, but he only has two home runs and has driven in 11.
