Alex Cora's endorsement of Masataka Yoshida shows how important he is to Red Sox

From the moment he signed in 2023, Masataka Yoshida had many detractors in Red Sox Nation. His $90 million contract was seen as a waste by a fair few Boston Red Sox fans, and their sentiments only worsened while he was sidelined with a thumb strain in June.

At the beginning of the season, some of their frustrations were valid. Yoshida spent more time than expected on the bench and he batted just .233/.317/.342 before his thumb injury. But Boston's everyday designated hitter has been on a monthlong hot streak, and he's been integral to some huge wins.

He crushed a two-out, two-strike, ninth-inning homer to lift the Sox to extra innings against the Yankees on July 5. He contributed two runs, three hits and four RBI against fellow AL playoff hunter Seattle on July 29. He plated three of Boston's six runs that secured the wild card tiebreaker against the Royals on Aug. 6. Alex Cora recently gave Yoshida some well-deserved credit for his clutch performances, before his four-hit night in Kansas City.

"...We have a great offense, but when he's going like this, we're elite," Cora said.

Masataka Yoshida has been integral to many recent Red Sox wins

When Yoshida is locked in, he makes Boston's lineup feel much longer. He moved up to the three spot in the Sox's batting order against Kansas City and with Rafael Devers, Connor Wong — both .300-plus average hitters — and Dominic Smith on a tear behind him, the offense has noticeably ticked up a notch.

Cora also said Yoshida has looked more like the player the Red Sox expected him to be when they signed him. He was a frequent slow starter in Nippon Professional Baseball, but the four-time NPB All-Star and two-time batting champion boasts a career .327 average there. The Yoshida Boston expected has come out in full force.

And whether his detractors believe it or not, he makes the Red Sox better. He's slashing .339/.426/.518 with a .914 OPS and 13 RBI since the All-Star break, and he's been one of Boston's most valuable pieces in recent weeks.

More Red Sox reads: