Masataka Yoshida Expected To See Majority Of At-Bats As DH
10 months agoBoston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that he expects outfielder Masataka Yoshida to get the majority of his at-bats this year at designated hitter. In his first year in the big leagues in 2023, the 30-year-old Japanese outfielder struggled defensively for the BoSox in left field, which has made newcomer Tyler O'Neill the most likely candidate to start at that position for the team in 2024. Yoshida should still be an everyday player, though, and will occasionally make starts in the outfield when O'Neill needs some rest. Offensively, Yoshida didn't show a ton of power (15 home runs), but he had a solid .289/.338/.445 slash line with 72 RBI, eight stolen bases and 71 runs scored in 140 games. There's reason to believe Yoshida will be able to improve, if even slightly, in his sophomore campaign.
Source: The Boston Globe - Alex Speier
Source: The Boston Globe - Alex Speier