Red Sox Face Tough Roster Call as Alex Cora Makes Plans Known Amid $90M Star’s Return

It took long enough, but finally, Alex Cora is set to receive one of the missing pieces to his puzzle in Boston. Before the All-Star break, the Red Sox’s $90 million “macho man” is expected to get activated. Well, Cora always left the door open for him. But his arrival will present the skipper with a fresh dilemma.

We are talking about Masataka Yoshida, who signed with the Red Sox back in 2023 for a five-year, $90 million contract. And since then, he has hit .285 with 25 home runs and 128 RBIs. But he 31-year-old hasn’t played at all this season due to a long road of recovery from labrum surgery.

Yoshida has been on the injured list after undergoing shoulder surgery in the off-season, but he is now just two rehab games away, in Double-A Portland this weekend, from finally returning to Boston. “He’ll be active during the homestand. When? We don’t know,” Cora revealed.

Now, when it happens, the Red Sox will have some tough decisions to make.

“Somebody’s going to sit,” Cora said. The thing is, when Yoshida is back, he’ll enter a crowded DH/outfield mix. However, Cora sees it as a “luxury” to have too many good players. “That’s where we’re at roster-wise. It’s not a problem. It’s a luxury, to be honest with you,” the skipper further added.

Cora has planned for Yoshida and Rob Refsnyder to be in a platoon setup at DH. At the same time, he wants to mix both of them into the outfield as well with Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu. At the end of the day, Cora’s clear about one thing—“Masa’s gonna hit. He’s gonna hit, and he’s gonna play wherever we need him to play, whether it’s the outfield or DH.”

Further, he shared the ultimatum of the situation. “We’ve got a lot of good players. Some guys are not gonna play certain days. There are certain lefties that aren’t going to play against righties one day. That’s the way it’s going to be because we have lots of good players.”

Ultimately, there will be a time when the Red Sox will have six outfielders competing for just four spots in the lineup. And for such a scenario, Cora has decided that Refsnyder won’t go against right-handed starters. It still leaves the Sox manager with difficult choices to make with the other five.

How will the Red Sox tackle the crowded roster?

The Red Sox haven’t seen the full value of Masataka Yoshida yet. He is expected to be back during the home stand game and despite the fact that he is yet to make his season debut, the Red Sox, especially Cora, don’t doubt his potential. Across two seasons, Yoshida has recorded a 114 OPS+, so he does offer value and is expected to deliver an offensive upgrade to the team.

Still, when he’s back, other players’ playing time will get reduced. The Red Sox will navigate through this by benching their other left-handed hitters who’ve been doing back and forth between the outfield and DH.

Talking about the outfield, Cora might sit Ceddanne Rafaela out against the right-handers. That isn’t quite certain because Rafaela’s defense lately has been remarkable in center field, but it’s a possibility for sure. Against the left-handers though, it’s probably going to be Wilyer Abreu or Jarren Duran who will have to sit out.

Another not-so-conventional option is to move Rafaela to the infield. He might take over the second base from Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton. It’s clear, when Yoshida returns, multiple left-handed bats will lose their usual play time. Let’s see how the Red Sox take it further.