The start of Alex Bregman's tenure with the Boston Red Sox has invited many roster questions for the upcoming season.
Bregman, a longtime third baseman, is in the running to take Rafael Devers' usual position in the hot corner. The Red Sox could move Devers to first base to accommodate Bregman at third, but then they'd also have to find a new home for Triston Casas, which would likely be an everyday job as designated hitter. They could also move Devers straight to DH, which has been the most frequently discussed option among fans and reporters.
Any way Boston slices it, Masataka Yoshida's 2024 role as its everyday DH has to change if Devers does not play third base. That would mean sending the Nippon Professional Baseball veteran back to the outfield, where he played with mixed results in 2023.
Alex Cora corroborated this in his Feb. 18 press conference at Fenway South when he confirmed: "[Yoshida] is going to be part of the picture." Despite previous sentiments that Yoshida's defense wasn't up to snuff, Cora attested that the Sox will need him in the field in 2025.
Alex Cora says Masataka Yoshida will return to the outfield for Red Sox this year amidst multiple position battles
LIVE: AC is on the bench with the media after workouts. https://t.co/LB6jJojLqA
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 18, 2025
Yoshida underwent surgery to repair his labrum in October and Cora shared that he began playing catch on Feb. 17. The Red Sox have not provided a timeline for his recovery and it is not certain that he'll be ready for Opening Day.
Yoshida said through a translator in his own media availability on Feb. 18 that he's excited to return to the outfield after a year off. He hopes to get sufficient reps to be ready for Opening Day on March 27. He's previously said his swing already feels 100%.
Yoshida's bat could be critical to Boston's lineup — when he was hot in 2024, the Red Sox went with him. He batted .333/.411/.487 in July and .326/.381/.516 in August as Boston crept up in the Wild Card standings. Unfortunately, Yoshida's defense doesn't have the same effect. In 2023, he posted negative eight outs above average, a third percentile arm value and lower quartile sprint speed. Moving Devers to the DH slot creates another defensive liability that only not using Yoshida can fix.
The Red Sox haven't yet decided if Bregman will take over at third base, and they still have over a month of spring training to do so. He said he'd be open to playing a different position with his new team and both he and Devers will continue to take reps at the hot corner, so it will be interesting to see how Boston's newest position battle plays out.