Why Masataka Yoshida was left out of Red Sox' lineup Friday

“He hasn’t played the outfield the whole season. We’re not going to do it now.”

Masataka Yoshida is batting .341 in the second half of this season. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Visit to Detroit reminds Red Sox aren’t the only young, promising team in baseball
The silver linings are plentiful amid another doomed Red Sox season. But the franchise needs more than good vibes.

Despite how well Masataka Yoshida is playing for the Red Sox of late, the team opted to not to start him Friday night.

Yoshida was benched in Boston’s first game of its series against the Tigers in favor of Rafael Devers, who was the Red Sox’ designated hitter in their 7-5 victory Friday. Devers had missed the previous three games due to shoulder soreness.

The 31-year-old Yoshida – who did pinch hit in the 10th inning Friday – is batting .294 on the season, including .341 in the second half (36 games). He owns a .798 OPS with nine home runs and 48 RBI in 82 games as Boston’s designated hitter.

So, why did Cora sit him Friday, when Yoshida could have played left field to get his hot bat in the lineup?

“He’s not playing the outfield,” Cora explained (h/t MassLive’s Christopher Smith). “He hasn’t played the outfield the whole season. We’re not going to do it now.”

It remains a mystery why the Red Sox have eliminated Yoshida’s playing time in the outfield this year. After playing 87 games in left field for the team in his first MLB season in 2023, Yoshida has played just one inning in the field in 2024. He was a serviceable defender and held his own in front of Fenway Park’s Green Monster as a rookie, making three errors total.

For whatever reason, Boston decided before the start of this season that he would strictly hit for the club. The Red Sox have stayed firm and will not play Yoshida with a glove in hand despite him being one of their hottest hitters in the second half.

Since Boston hired Craig Breslow as its chief baseball officer last fall, the team began changing its attitude toward Yoshida. In December, Breslow reportedly wanted to continue playing Yoshida in the field and at designated hitter, as the player did in 2023. However, the Red Sox were reportedly open to trading the player in January. The following month, Cora announced that Yoshida would get most of his at-bats as a designated hitter in 2024.

What Boston will do with Yoshida after this season remains to be seen. However, for the next month, it appears that they will continue to keep their five-year, $90 million player away from the outfield.