Red Sox’ $90MM ‘Minor Leaguer’ Has Yet Another Set Back

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida, who is beginning the season on the injured list as he recovers from shoulder surgery, was sent back to Boston to get treatment on a sore back, according to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe.

The club announced last Saturday that Yoshida, who signed a five-year, $90 million contract with Boston in 2022, would begin this season in Triple-A Worcester to “continue to build out his throwing program.”

With this delay, there’s no timeline yet for when Yoshida might head to Triple-A for a rehab stint. The Red Sox are not in a hurry to make that decision, and they are likely to postpone it for as long as possible, given that the player doesn’t fit well on the Major League team. Once he does start a rehab assignment, though, the clock starts —he’ll have a maximum of 20 days to get ready.

“He’s going to continue his rehab for his arm in Boston and whenever he’s ready to play [in Worcester], he will,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said yesterday.

The question remains if after 20 days Yoshida’s throwing arm will be game ready and there still won’t be a fit for him on the team. Could he ask for a trade or an outright release? Any team that claims him on waivers would be responsible for the $55.8 million remaining salary over the next three years (2025–2027).

The Red Sox can’t officially option Yoshida to the minor leagues at the conclusion of his 20-day rehab stint unless he agrees to it.

Visions of Past Red Sox Busts

While hardly identical, Yoshida’s career arc is trending perilously close to that of infamous Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo, who signed a $72.5 million contract in 2014 that produced little return.

Castillo appeared in just 99 major league games over parts of three seasons, hitting a modest .262 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs. After 2016, he became a permanent fixture at Triple-A Pawtucket, largely due to the financial structure of his deal counting against the luxury tax had he been promoted.

Yoshida has played parts of two seasons with Boston, appearing in 136 games since signing with Boston ahead of the 2023 season.

Jay Pritchard covers the Boston Red Sox, Major League Baseball and sports media for Heavy.com. More about Jay Pit hard