Even after his third offseason with the Boston Red Sox, Masataka Yoshida’s fate with the club remains unclear.

A logjam persists in Boston’s outfield and a new one emerged for the designated hitter slot this winter. The Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, a more capable third baseman (defensively) than Rafael Devers, who may be in for a move to the designated hitter slot.

If Yoshida can’t DH and there’s a traffic jam in the Sox’s outfield, they have few other options for him. The three seasons and $55-plus million remaining on his contract further limit their choices, and with Opening Day less than two weeks away, they need to determine their long-term plan for him quickly.

There’s a nonzero chance Yoshida begins the 2025 season on the injured list. The lefty underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason to repair a torn labrum in his throwing arm, and he still isn’t throwing at 100 percent effort. Since he can’t yet play the field and Devers is Boston’s likely Opening Day DH, the Red Sox may get a little extra leeway to find a trade partner for Yoshida.

Red Sox running out of options for Masataka Yoshida with outfield logjam, expected move to DH for Rafael Devers

In his story from March 15, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe acknowledged that “a trade isn’t impossible” for the Red Sox and Yoshida, but that it’ll still be tough to find a suitor. The Nippon Professional Baseball veteran has batted .285/.343/.433 with a .776 OPS in his first two seasons with the Sox, which are fine numbers by big league standards, but Boston expected him to be more productive based on his career .326/.419/.538 slash line from his seven-year career in Japan.

Not only has Yoshida had less offensive success than expected, but he’s battled injuries in his first two MLB seasons. He’s been limited to 248 games in his first two years with the Sox, and since he may begin the 2025 season on the IL, a full slate of work seems unlikely for him this year, as well.

Despite his struggles, Yoshida can have quite the impact on Boston’s lineup. Manager Alex Cora has said the Sox go as Yoshida goes, and the lefty batted .333/.411/.487 with three homers and 20 RBI in July, in the throes of the team’s hot streak before the All-Star break.

Injuries to hitters on other teams could make another squad desperate enough to take on Yoshida’s three-year contract in a trade with Boston, but for now, it seems he’ll be spending another season in a Red Sox uniform. That’s not the worst thing, considering the importance of capable offensive depth, but Boston could be putting the $55.8 million on his contract to better use.