Masataka Yoshida Injury: Season debut could be 'sped up'

Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Yoshida's (shoulder) return from the 60-day injured list could be expedited after the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the Giants on Sunday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. "We're going to meet [Tuesday or Wednesday] to go over a few things. Let's see if we can speed up the process," Cora said, in reference to when Yoshida might make his 2025 debut. "He can swing the bat. Now it's a matter of him getting at-bats and all that. But at the same time, respecting the rehab of the shoulder. So we'll decide that sooner rather than later."

Yoshida served exclusively as a designated hitter for the Red Sox in 2024 and has been operating with no restrictions at the plate since late February, but he's nonetheless remained on the IL all season while he's moved slowly through his throwing program following his Oct. 3 right shoulder labral repair. Because Devers had been serving as a full-time DH prior to being traded, the Red Sox weren't willing to activate Yoshida until he proved that his shoulder presented no issues for him while playing in the corner outfield. However, with Devers now out of the picture, Cora said that the Red Sox are considering bringing Yoshida back from the IL before he's cleared to play defense, with the skipper floating the possibility of using him in a platoon at DH with the right-handed-hitting Rob Refsnyder. Yoshida -- who played catch out to 120 feet Tuesday -- would still be an option in the outfield once he finally completes his throwing program, though the Red Sox likely wouldn't have much of a need for him to play defense. Wilyer Abreu's (oblique) expected return from the 10-day IL this weekend will create a logjam in the outfield that could spill over to the DH spot, but the Red Sox might be able to keep Yoshida's bat in the lineup by handing center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela more starts at second base at the expense of Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton, both of whom have offered little offensive production since the beginning of May.