Multiple Boston Red Sox made their spring training debuts over the weekend; some were delayed by injury, and others by a run to the playoffs last season.
The biggest debut performance of the weekend goes to Masataka Yoshida. The outfielder/designated hitter received surgery to repair a damaged labrum after the 2024 season, and his swing is already back to 100%.
Yoshida went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run in his first Grapefruit League game against the Mets on March 2. His first hit of the day, on the first in-game pitch he'd seen since last year, was a loud ground-rule double to score Alex Bregman and Triston Casas.
The position battle for third base between Bregman and Rafael Devers has some fans debating where Yoshida will play in the 2025 Sox lineup, and some fans have posited not playing him at all. But Yoshida made an early case for his spot on the Opening Day roster, and when he hits well, the team plays well around him.
Masataka Yoshida, Walker Buehler, Connor Wong all post solid Red Sox spring training debuts from March 1-2.
Masa's seen 1 pitch this spring.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 2, 2025
He has 2 RBI. pic.twitter.com/5Lsh7joRbj
Walker Buehler also posted a great Grapefruit League and Red Sox debut. The righty took the mound a bit later than his fellow Red Sox starters due to his run to the World Series with the Dodgers last year — he threw the final pitch of the 2024 season on Oct. 30.
Buehler posted two scoreless innings with one hit and four strikeouts against the Mets. The one hit he gave up was to the first batter he faced, Jeff McNeil, then he proceeded to shut down the rest of their lineup until he was swapped for Liam Hendriks to start the third inning.
Buehler is probably a lock for Boston's starting rotation based on the competition, but the pecking order isn't yet set with just over three weeks until Opening Day. If he continues to pitch as well as he did on March 2, he could land higher in the rotation than many fans expected he would.
The day before Yoshida and Buehler's solid Grapefruit League debuts, Connor Wong had a day of his own against the Twins. The catcher appeared in his first spring training game after kicking shoulder soreness from early in camp.
Wong homered to continue the success of his breakout 2024 season, during which he slashed .280/.333/.425 with a .758 OPS over 126 games. After Boston traded top catching prospect Kyle Teel to the White Sox for Garrett Crochet, Wong's tenure as its primary catcher will go longer than expected, but there seems to be no additional pressure on the 28-year-old.