Latest news with #MasatakaYoshida
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston Red Sox' Masataka Yoshida provides injury update
BOSTON — Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida had a cortisone shot Sunday after he has continued to feel pain when he throws. 'When I stretch out to 120 feet, that's when I kind of feel the pain,' Yoshida said through translator Yutaro Yamaguchi in the Red Sox clubhouse Tuesday. Advertisement The 31-year-old underwent a right shoulder labral repair on Oct. 3 in Boston. He will not throw for at least another three days after receiving the shot. 'I'm going to have to let it sit and see how I feel,' Yoshida said. He said the trainers told him post-surgery that he would have to tolerate some pain throughout the 2025 season. 'That's something that I kind of have to be dealing with throughout the year,' Yoshida said. 'At least this year I will have to deal with the pain.' Yoshida said he still has no issues with hitting. He would be able to be activated from the IL if he only had to hit. He spent last year as Boston's DH. But the Red Sox plan to use him in the outfield this season with Rafael Devers serving as the primary DH and playing no third base. Boston also has no plans to ask Devers to play first base following Triston Casas' season-ending surgery Sunday. Advertisement 'As far as the hitting, no problem,' said Yoshida who appeared in 11 Grapefruit League games during spring training and batted .286 (10-for-35) with a homer and double. Yoshida had hope at the beginning of spring training that he would be ready for Opening Day. He said there have been no real setbacks. 'But I'm not recovering or making the progress at the pace that I wanted to,' Yoshida said. 'Let's put it that way.' He's in the third season of the five-year, $90 million contract that he signed with Boston in December 2022. He has batted .285 with a .343 on-base percentage, .433 slugging percentage, .775 OPS, 25 homers, 54 doubles, three triples, 128 RBIs, 116 runs, 61 walks and 133 strikeouts in 248 games for Boston. Advertisement 'I just want to go back out there as soon as I can,' Yoshida said. 'That's my hope.' Manager Alex Cora added, 'I know he's frustrated. I think we all are. It was major surgery. It was. We haven't rushed him through the process. We've been very patient. And we will stay patient with him. He wants to play. And we've gotta get it going throwing-wise. It's been a challenge. But it's not lack of effort. It's not lack of resources. I think our guys have done an amazing job. Just it hasn't happened yet.' More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Red Sox acquire 1st baseman Ryan Noda from Angels for cash
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox acquired first baseman Ryan Noda from the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in a deal for cash. Noda had been designated for assignment by the Angels before the trade that gives the Red Sox another possible option at first base. Noda was immediately optioned by Boston to Triple-A Worcester following the trade with outfielder Masataka Yoshida getting transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox Get Update on Masataka Yoshida Amid Health Concerns
Masataka Yoshida, currently playing on a five-year, $90 million deal, has yet to play for the Boston Red Sox this season. When he's in the lineup, the Red Sox are a better team, but it's still uncertain when he'll return to Boston. The Red Sox are hopeful that at some point in the near future, he can at least return to the lineup. The issue with that? Well, Rafael Devers doesn't want to play first base, and unless Boston decides to sit him, there isn't much of a place to play for Yoshida without throwing the baseball. Advertisement And according to a recent report, it doesn't sound like he'll be throwing anytime soon. For now, he's just getting swings off the tee and is having cortisone shots. "Red Sox' Masataka Yoshida has begun taking swings again after he had a cortisone shot May 4," Christopher Smith shared. "'Off the Tee, dry swings,' (Manager Alex Cora) said. 'Not throwing yet.'" Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (7) hits a single during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Credit: Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports It's been a tough situation for Yoshida and the Red Sox. Not only does Boston want him on the field because of how much he makes, but the Red Sox haven't exactly been great to start the year. If they could add a player who has posted an above 110 OPS+ in each of his first two seasons at the big league level, this lineup would look much different. Advertisement This goes to show why Devers being selfish doesn't help anybody in the organization, but it's clear that he doesn't think he's the issue. For Yoshida, however, hopefully, things start to turn in a much better direction for the international star. Related: Insider Reveals Red Sox's Potential Plan for Marcelo Mayer Amid Rafael Devers Drama
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox Players React to Stubborn Rafael Devers Comments About First Base
The Rafael Devers saga continues for the Boston Red Sox. Devers was slotted into a designated hitter role for the superior defender Alex Bregman, which ruffled his feathers and perhaps explains his recent attitude. Boston have had to scramble for a first baseman after losing Triston Casas to season-ending knee surgery. Romy González has excelled as the replacement, but there are doubts as to whether or not he can sustain his hot start for an entire season. Advertisement The natural, albeit tricky, move was to teach Devers the three and open up the DH role for, say, Masataka Yoshida once he is healthy, or simply to give manager Alex Cora more lineup combinations. Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Blaze-Imagn Images However, Devers has stubbornly refused to learn first, leaving Boston with questions about its highest-paid player. Christopher Smith of MassLive has shared plenty of Devers quotes, but here is one about his feelings toward the front office: Gabrielle Starr of The Boston Herald had this to add on his teammates' reactions: Devers, who signed a 10-year, $313.5 million extension in January of 2023, is in no position to refuse the request. He was upset about losing his defensive responsibilities in the spring, but does not want to return to the infield unless it is on his terms. Advertisement Maybe Devers feels he can take a straightforward approach now that he is paid, but it is still disappointing to see what a team leader should put his teammates in the rearview mirror. The Red Sox still want to call up outfielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Marcelo Mayer this year, two young additions that could propel this team through the summer. Devers occupying the DH spot complicates things. In fairness to Devers, expecting him to learn first overnight is a tall ask and a heavy weight to carry. But, still, he is making all that money, and the right move would be to accept the new responsibilities and help the team. Related: Rafael Devers Sparks Fan Uproar After Boldly Defying Red Sox Request Related: Rafael Devers Makes Promising Comments on Red Sox Teammates
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Rafael Devers unleashes on Red Sox brass, plus Pittsburgh's stark reality
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. Rafael Devers said the quiet part (very) out loud, Max Fried has been (somehow) even better with the Yankees, and Derek Shelton has taken the fall in Pittsburgh for ownership's shortcomings. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! 😬: Devers drama thickens Literally two days ago in this very space, here's what I had to say about the fact that Rafael Devers wouldn't be playing first base for the Red Sox: 'To be fair, that's not quite the full-chest 'no way' we got from Devers this spring. It's also not an offer to do it. All we know is: It's not happening.' One thing journalists attempt to do is — no matter how much it might seem a player feels one way or another — always try to give them the benefit of the doubt. But the benefit evaporates when the doubt ceases to exist. And whewwww boy, when Devers was done speaking to the media yesterday, there was not an ounce of uncertainty left in the room. You can read all of the quotes in Jen McCaffrey's story here, but here are the big ones: The thing is, the Red Sox do have another bat. It's just that — as we outlined a couple days ago — his name is Masataka Yoshida, he's recovering from a shoulder injury and he's capable of hitting, but can't throw without pain right now. Sounds like a prime DH candidate to me. And look — Devers, 28, is right about one thing: It's not easy to learn a new position! Not even first base! (Some might even say it's incredibly hard.) But it's the big leagues. What part of it has ever been easy? From my latest notes column: It's almost as if Max Fried is a different pitcher. By design. What impressed Yankees coach Matt Blake most about the left-hander, from the first time they spoke via Zoom during free agency, was his openness to new ideas. The number of adjustments the Yankees suggested to Fried might be perceived as excessive for a successful pitcher joining a new organization on an eight-year, $218 million contract. But Fried, according to Blake, essentially said, 'Keep going. What do you got? Keep giving it to me.' The Yankees gave Fried the information. Fried, 31, implemented it to maximum effect. And his 1.05 ERA, best in the majors, represents Fried's best eight-start stretch in a single season. Fried throws seven pitches in all, and Blake said he has improved many of them on the margins. For insight into how he has changed, I asked The Athletic's Eno Sarris what he sees in the data. And man, Eno had plenty to offer: 'Obviously, Atlanta has got a really strong pitching program. But they go about it in a little more traditional way,' Blake said, referring to Fried's former club. 'He just was interested in exploring some of the data and tech that is available now. That's what we've leaned in towards. Just really understanding how the pitches are moving, why they're moving, what his body is doing to make those pitchers move. 'Combined with what he learned in Atlanta — the game-skill component, understanding hitters, reading swings, understanding how to turn lineups over multiple times — he's going as deep into the game as anybody right now. Just knowing how he's going to navigate seven pitches three times through the lineup, sometimes four.' More notes here. The Pittsburgh Pirates are 12-26. I'm not sure (former) manager Derek Shelton is the reason why, but he's the one who took the fall — the team dismissed Shelton and promoted Don Kelly yesterday. A few notes on what Pittsburgh did to put Shelton and the team in a position to succeed (all numbers from Spotrac): That's just $111.43 million, all in one-year deals — equal to about one Anthony Santander five-year deal and a Patrick Sandoval two-year deal — since Shelton took the job before the 2020 season. One might argue: They have some great young talent in Paul Skenes, Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz and others. Isn't this a team on its way up? Great. That was true last year, too. What have they done to supplement that talent? Where's the track record to suggest they're going to start now? One might argue: The Pirates' situation illustrates a growing problem of income imbalance between the big-market and small-market teams. We can talk later about how baseball has always been the best metaphor for life, but for now: Since the last time the Pirates made the postseason (2015) the Brewers have been to the playoffs six times. The Rays, five. The Twins, four. The A's — who left Oakland after last season — and Padres have gone three times. The Marlins, twice. The Reds, Mariners and Royals, once each. The Rockies — the Colorado Rockies — have gone to the playoffs twice since the Pirates' last appearance. Operating in a small market only gets you so much leeway. The only team with a postseason drought longer than the Pirates (nine years): the Angels (10). If you look around a list and the only other inhabitants are the Angels, you should make it an urgent goal to get off that list. It would seem they have this in common with the Angels, too: Owner Bob Nutting — who can't easily fire himself — hasn't put anyone in the organization in a position to succeed. As for Kelly, the team announcement did not include the word 'interim' when describing his role. GM Ben Cherington addressed it thusly: 'It's permanent for 2025. We're focused on 2025 and not getting past 2025. Because it became clear that it's permanent for 2025, we chose not to use any other words to describe it. I have a lot of confidence in him doing that job for 2025.' So it's a (nearly) one-year deal? Color me shocked. Tyler Kepner's 'Sliders' column focuses on Tony Gwynn, who would have been 65 years old today. Jayson Stark has two Weird and Wild columns this week. The first delves into the Royals-Orioles homer-fest (and so much more), and the second focuses on the hapless Rockies, who might set a really futile record. Advertisement The new pope is from Chicago, which prompted a lot of speculation on his baseball fandom. He's a White Sox fan, obviously — since when has a Cardinal ever rooted for the Cubs? Speaking of the Chicago Pope, Jon Greenberg caught up with the original: Donn Pall. Speaking of the Cardinals: This was meant to be a rebuild season, but they're winning more games than expected. Could they rebuild and win? Aaaand speaking of the Cubs, they're calling up top pitching prospect Cade Horton, a former top-10 draft pick. The Twins haven't been great this year, but their pitching has been good enough to suggest a turnaround is possible, says Aaron Gleeman. Looking to buy low on some fantasy baseball hitters? Eno Sarris has some suggestions. Jim Bowden gives us his 10 biggest disappointments of the season so far. On the pods: The 'Rates & Barrels' crew discussed changes Roki Sasaki could make to take a step forward as his first season with the Dodgers unfolds. Chet Lemon, member of the champion 1984 Tigers, has died at 70 years old. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Keith Law's first 2025 mock draft. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
