Masataka Yoshida is within the fourth 12 months of the five-year, $90 million contract with the Purple Sox. Maybe he and the cash he’s owed will get moved as half of a bigger transaction within the subsequent few weeks, however both method, it appears like we’re approaching a degree the place a call must be made about his future with the membership. Right here’s a handful of different gadgets to think about:
1) Yoshida has stunk on the plate since Roman Anthony’s damage opened up about as a lot constant taking part in time as he might presumably get on this roster given the large outfield and DH logjam. Since Anthony went on the IL slightly over a month in the past on the finish of the Detroit collection, Yoshida is batting .181 with a .528 OPS.
2) It’s been famous earlier than, however Yoshida can also’t discipline, can’t throw, isn’t a quick baserunner, and can flip 33 subsequent month, so if he’s additionally not going to hit, what precisely is there for him to do on this roster?
3) Yoshida’s OPS has gotten worse each single season:
4) Early this week, the Purple Sox referred to as up Nate Eaton, who splits the vast majority of his taking part in time between the outfield and DH. This implies we’ve got yet one more man who plugs into the OF/DH logjam; and on prime of that, Eaton is correct handed, so changing Yoshida along with his bat would give some desperately wanted stability to the lineup.
The underside line is that this: Yoshida is an getting older participant who,whereas glorious in Japan, isn’t coming down from a really excessive place right here even when he was half first rate in 2023 and 2024. This implies he doesn’t match on this roster whether or not you imagine the Purple Sox ought to nonetheless be pushing for the third Wild Card in 2026, or in case you imagine they need to promote all the pieces not nailed all the way down to the ground. He’s unproductive proper now, and there’s no long-term upside sooner or later.
This one hurts, as a result of by all accounts Yoshida looks like a beautiful human being off the sphere, and is among the few guys on this crew who has the composure to deal with a excessive leverage at bat on it. However this season is meant to harm. You don’t get twelve video games below .500 with out penalties reaching all corners of the clubhouse, and for Yoshida, the clock seems to be ticking.
