Unlikely Red Sox Candidate Taking Reps At First Base

When Triston Casas was ruled out for the season, it left the Boston Red Sox with a sizeable hole at first base. While Casas hadn’t performed as well as he hoped, his previous performance suggested he’d be an above-average contributor to the lineup in time.

Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez have been the primary replacements for Casas, and they’ve performed well. Since the injury, Red Sox first basemen have a 102 wRC+, just above league average.

Still, the position is one the Red Sox could look to upgrade in one way or another. Internally, a new candidate surfaced on Wednesday when Masataka Yoshida took reps at first base before a game on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Worcester.

Yoshida hasn’t played this season as he works his way back from a shoulder injury. He was able to hit in spring training, but couldn’t throw well enough to play the field. While he’s expecting to rehab at both designated hitter and in the outfield, first base could be an option to protect his arm.

The outfield is crowded as is with Jarren Duran, Ceddane Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, and Rob Refsnyder all seeing time in the outfield.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that DH and outfield were the priority for Yoshida, but that he’d also get “light work” at first base before games. Cotillo reported that it’s unlikely he gets into games at first base.

While the Red Sox may say it’s unlikely at this point, additional lineup flexibility is never a bad thing. Additionally, they might not want to put additional pressure on Yoshida by placing that responsibility on him.

Yoshida has hit well in his career, but hasn’t always found at-bats due to his defensive prowess. If he takes to first base, it might be a pathway to more playing time.