It was a season full of adjustments last year for Masataka Yoshida with the Japanese star moving halfway across the globe and joining the Boston Red Sox for his first MLB season.
Yoshida probably is more comfortable as he readies himself for his second season with the Red Sox, but he’ll now have to adapt to a role change.
Yoshida played the majority of the 2023 campaign in left field, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed last week that Yoshida will see the “most at-bats” out of anyone as the team’s designated hitter.
Switching from the outfield to a primary DH role isn’t something Yoshida is opposed to this season.
“Obviously whatever role he gives me, I’m trying to do the best I can,” Yoshida told reporters Monday at JetBlue Park through translator Yutaro Yamaguchi, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “Whatever role I get, that’s what I’m going to do right now. Obviously, I’m here to contribute to the team and contribute to the victories of the team. Offensively, defensively I just want to stay ready at all times.”
Yoshida didn’t make the same impact with his glove as he did with his bat as a rookie. The 30-year-old played 87 games in left field and had a negative-4 defensive runs saves, according to Smith.
Yoshida, who finished the season hitting .289 with 15 home runs, 72 RBIs and eight stolen bases, did appear in 49 games as Boston’s DH last season.
“It’s not like my first time doing DH,” Yoshida said. “I had experience doing DH in Japan, too. So I kind of have some sort of routine. And now that I’ve spent one year here, I got some at-bats as a DH so I’ve got some routines.”
Transitioning into the Red Sox DH on a more consistent basis could prove beneficial for Yoshida. It would keep his bat in the lineup with Cora having a plethora of outfielders to choose from and help Yoshida remain fresh.
The long MLB season clearly wore him down as he batted .254 in the second half of the campaign after hitting a robust .316 in the first half.
