Masataka Yoshida’s future with the Red Sox is uncertain after a tough season, but a return to the outfield in 2025 could boost his trade value…

After Masataka Yoshida played just 108 games in his second season with the Boston Red Sox, his future with the team is up in the air.

Yoshida experienced a freak thumb injury that kept him sidelined from May into June. The Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) veteran is a known slow-starter and he wasn’t himself early in the season and after his return from the injured list. As the Sox’s designated hitter last year, his stalled offense was problematic. He batted a respectable .280/.349/.415 with a .765 OPS, but he slashed .327/.421/.539 over his seven seasons in NPB.

Yoshida has never been a defensive savant, but he played left field in the first season of his Red Sox tenure. The rough results (-8 outs above average, third percentile arm value) were the main reason for his move to full-time DH in 2024 — or so Sox fans thought.

Manager Alex Cora shared at Boston’s Jan. 11 Fenway Fest that Yoshida’s injured shoulder was one of the main reasons he didn’t play in the outfield last season. The 31-year-old underwent labrum repair surgery in early October, and when he’s healed, he’ll be back in the mix for reps in the outfield.

Red Sox will move Masataka Yoshida back to outfield in 2025 season

Alex Cora says Masataka Yoshida’s shoulder was a big reason why he didn’t play any outfield last year, and ideally he’ll be back in the mix this coming season.

Obviously that flexibility would be huge for the roster.

— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) January 11, 2025

The Red Sox’s outfield defense in 2024 was leaps and bounds better than it was in 2023. Jarren Duran’s breakout season, Wilyer Abreu’s Gold Glove Award-winning rookie year and Ceddanne Rafaela’s unmatched athleticism made up one of the most underrated defensive outfields in the league. Adding Yoshida back to that mix could be a questionable decision when the Sox have such a good thing going and Roman Anthony on the way.

Moving Yoshida back to the outfield could be an attempt to increase his trade value. Boston having Yoshida, a lefty, as its everyday DH in a lineup packed with southpaws makes for a rather inflexible batting order. The Sox have attempted to find a trade partner to dish Yoshida in a salary dump to no avail. His less-than-anticipated offensive production, rough defense and injury concerns don’t make for an ideal trade candidate for any club.

If the Red Sox can increase Yoshida’s defensive skill and use him for more than 130 games in 2025, they may have better luck trading the rest of his contract elsewhere. But such a move shouldn’t come at the expense of the 2025 team. Hopefully, Yoshida’s defense can improve enough that his spot on the field will be worth it.