The Boston Red Sox have been handed a golden opportunity to get hot at the right time, and they've begun taking advantage. In the final series before the All-Star break, Boston has already swept the NL East-worst Washington Nationals, and the Colorado Rockies, on pace to be the worst team of all time, will come to town for three games starting July 7.
During the Rockies series, the Red Sox expect to activate Masataka Yoshida, who could help deepen their recently dominant offense. Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reported on July 5 that Boston will activate Yoshida at some point during the final week before the All-Star break, but the exact date is still to be determined.
Yoshida has been on a rehab assignment between Double-A and Triple-A since July 1. He's posted four hits, two runs and three RBI in five games. He's walked and struck out twice and all of his hits have been singles.
Yoshida has been sidelined since the start of the season due to delays in his offseason labrum repair surgery recovery. The designated hitter/outfielder participated in spring training games, but never took the field due to issues with his throwing progression. Yoshida slashed .286/.286/.400 with seven RBI over 11 games in the Grapefruit League.
Red Sox expected to activate Masataka Yoshida sometime during Rockies series
"Ooooooh yeah!" 😎@RedSox outfielder Masataka Yoshida -- nicknamed The Macho Man -- greets the Red Snapper (@PortlandSeaDogs) faithful with an RBI single: pic.twitter.com/HA62UKNjxQ
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 5, 2025
The Red Sox plan to return Yoshida to the outfield this season, and his return deepens their outfield logjam. Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony and Rob Refsnyder all need roster spots in the outfield, and Alex Cora will have some tough decisions to make about who to play on a daily basis.
“Somebody’s going to sit,” Cora said of his outfield depth, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “That’s where we’re at roster-wise. It’s not a problem. It’s a luxury to be honest with you.
Yoshida has been recorded taking reps at first base during his rehab assignment, but Cora attested he won't start there any time soon. Boston seems to be veering on the side of caution with its first base depth as the second half of the season approaches — Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez have been great at the corner, but it's impossible to tell if that will continue for the rest of the season. Cora also mentioned using Yoshida at first base if he runs out of other options in pinch-hitting/running situations.
The Red Sox are a .500 team since the Rafael Devers trade and their offense has been inconsistent in that time. An average record for the rest of the season will not carry them to the postseason, and Yoshida's bat should help lengthen and elevate the offense to keep them in the race when it matters.