There’s just something about the World Baseball Classic that brings out the best in Boston Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida.
The 32-year-old followed up his 2-for-4, three RBIs effort in Japan’s Saturday win over Korea Saturday with another home run on Sunday.
Yoshida hit the game-winning, two-run home run Sunday to lift Japan to a 4-3 victory against Australia and ensured his team first place in Group C.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora discussed Masa’s WBC success before Boston’s spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
“I don’t know why people are so surprised that he’s hitting,” Cora said, according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam. “When he was healthy in ’23, the first half of the season, he was one of the best hitters in the big leagues. He got banged up, we kind of covered it for a while there with injections (for his shoulder), tough rehab, tough season, then the big surgery (in October 2024) with five anchors in there. So for him to bounce back toward the end of the season last year was impressive. And the offseason was a regular one.”
Yoshida was limited to a career-low 55 games during the 2025 regular season and didn’t make his debut until July.
He finished the campaign with four home runs, 26 RBIs and a .266/.307/.308 slash line across 205 plate appearances and was 4-for-7 with two RBIs during the Red Sox’s AL wild-card series against the New York Yankees.
Yoshida’s spot in Boston’s 2026 lineup is currently unclear, as the combination of Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu is expected to make up the starting outfield and designated hitter group.
“We’re about to find out, right?” Cora said, per McAdam, when asked about Yoshida’s role this season. “When you hit in this league, you always find ways to play those guys. The cool thing is that we’ve got good players here and it’s up to me to make it work. And we will make it work.”
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