Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida avoids surgery on injured thumb

Red Sox

Alex Cora told reporters he would “see how (Yoshida) feels in a few weeks.”

The Red Sox finally had a stroke of luck in their recent spate of injuries, as designated hitter Masataka Yoshida will not need surgery on his left thumb.

Yoshida was placed on Boston’s 10-day injured list a little over a week ago with a strained left thumb. Although he is not expected back in the Red Sox lineup for some time, it appears Yoshida will avoid the extended absence that surgery would require.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Alex Cora said he would “see how (Yoshida) is feeling in a few weeks.”

Yoshida consulted three different specialists to confirm that he could go straight through the rehabilitation process for his thumb injury.

Yoshida’s 2024 didn’t live up to his spring training expectations once he became Boston’s full-time option at DH. He had a cold bat early in the season and was healthy scratched several times, particularly during Rafael Devers’ stint at DH, as the Red Sox outfield depth was too strong for Yoshida to crack .

It seemed like Yoshida had started to turn a corner before his injury. He is batting .275 this season with two homers and 11 RBIs.

The 30-year-old is in only his second season in the major leagues and has had a promising rookie campaign in 2023. During that season, which was largely disappointing for the Red Sox as a whole, Yoshida hit .289 with 72 RBIs, 15 home runs and 155 hits. His weaknesses came more from the defensive side of the ball and fueled his move to the DH role.

Rob Refsnyder is the latest hitter to shoulder the DH workload this year and is putting together some solid at-bats as of late. Refsnyder has a .351 batting average with eight RBIs and one home run in 14 games played this season.

Since Boston will be without Yoshida for at least a few more weeks, Cora and company will get an in-depth look at Refsnyder’s offense before deciding where Yoshida will fit into the lineup upon his return.