When the Red Sox signed Masataka Yoshida on December 15, 2022 it was to mixed reactions. Xander Bogaerts had signed with the San Diego Padres a few days earlier, lost to free agency sorta-kinda because of the addition of Trevor Story. Kyle Schwarber the year before had been deemed “too expensive” when he signed with the Dave Dombrowski’s Philadelphia Phillies. And yet there were the Red Sox giving a five-year deal, $90 million contact to Yoshida, in addition to a posting fee. But there was also excitement.
Yoshida was coming to the Red Sox from the Orix Buffaloes where he excelled.
In the 2022 season the outfielder hit .335/.447/.561 with 21 home runs. He drew 80 walks against just 41 strikeouts. Obviously, no one expected him to duplicate the line entirely. Maybe not hit for as much power. Maybe not quite the same strikeouts and walks – though his batting skill was main draw for Yoshida so possibly not as much change.
As the calendar would have it, spring 2023 was both his first Spring Training in the US and a WBC year. Almost before he’d joined the Sox, Yoshida was back playing with a Japanese team. And if you were excited about his potential — as Chaim Bloom surely was — Yoshida would exceed all rational thought. Through the tournament he hit an insane .409/.531/.727 with two home runs and a double. He walked four times against a single strikeout. He won the MVP as Japan took the crown.
Over three years in Boston Yoshida has not been an MVP but he’s definitely had his moments. In 2023, Yoshida played in 140 games and hit .289/.338/.445 with 15 home runs and 81 strikeouts compared to just 34 walks. That’s a solid year to build off.
He battled injuries in 2024 but despite playing in only 108 games he was still worth 1.4 bWAR. Was he adjusting? Maybe. Slashing .280/.349/.415 with 10 home runs and 52 strikeouts compared to 27 walks showed some of that. Alex Cora kept him out of the outfield, proffering DH duty, but if he wasn’t needed in the outfield why use a fielder you’re not sure is your best option?
“I don’t know why people are so surprised that he’s hitting. When he was healthy in ‘23 the first half of the season, he was one of the best hitters in the big leagues. He got banged up. We kind of covered it for a while there, and he had injections [for his right shoulder]. – Alex Cora
In 2025, Yoshida would miss the first half of the season recovering from shoulder surgery. The hope being that with a patched up arm maybe he’d be a better outfield option. Although it was never really clear if that was the plan.
All said and done this was a disappointing season for Masataka Yoshida at first glance. Slashing just .266/.307/.388. Though he did hit 4 home runs, steal 3 bases, and put up a 24: 10 K:BB. While it’s a small sample, his September, as the rest of the ream struggled to hit, was perhaps a sign that after injury and a long layoff, he was feeling better. Yoshida would hit .333/.351/.486 with 2 of his 4 homers. His K:BB was 5:3. That’s only 18 games but potentially his first truly healthy play since sometime in 2024. He’d roll straight into the Yankees series hitting .571/.571/.571. Fours hits in 7 plate appearances. He even drove in 2 critical runs. He struck out just once.
And he rolled into the World Baseball Classic in Spring 2026, healthy.
Through four games – all of which Japan won – Masa is 6 for 12 with two home runs. He’s playing with fun. He’s playing with style.
That’s a bat drop worthy of Roman Anthony.
What’s the future for Yoshida when he returns to Boston? He’s got the inside track as the DH. Unlike Triston Casas, he can’t easily be sent to the minors. He’s hitting for power again, which, yes, adjust this for competition, but he needed to show he’d found his power swing again. Did Craig Breslow and Alex Cora already know this? I don’t know, probably? They have tremendously more information than we do. But We’re all seeing it now.
This looks like 2023 Yoshida shining on the international stage, ready to take that experience back to Boston. Only this time he isn’t an American rookie – he’s a veteran. He’s the Macho Man. He’s Masa.
