Masataka Yoshida homers as Red Sox best Yankees

Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Yoshida all homered off Emmet Sheehan in a four-batter span in the third to give the Red Sox a 5-3 lead. Yoshida’s homer was his fifth of the year, with four of those coming in his last 24 games, and he’s hitting .264/.341/.388 in 255 plate appearances overall. It looked like he might lose some playing time when the Red Sox acquired Curtis Mead, and that still could be a danger if the Red Sox try to add offense again prior to Monday’s deadline.

The Red Sox could have easily acquired Mead a few months ago, but they’re obviously much bigger believers now after he hit .254/.352/.500 with 17 homers in 327 plate appearances for the Nationals. And he does look like a perfectly legitimate major league hitter at this point. However, his bat speed and exit velocity numbers are all pretty average, and he just doesn’t offer much defensive value as a well-below-average defensive third baseman and potentially adequate first baseman. The Red Sox will likely make him their primary DH for now, allowing him to maintain some mixed-league value. Still, if they’re ever at full strength, he might not warrant starts against righties. Time will tell, but giving up Early here seems like a misstep. With Mead likely to see significant time at DH, Masataka Yoshida will again become a reserve, though perhaps a Jarren Duran trade could put him in left field for a time.

Unless Early is damaged goods — and he obviously currently is on the IL with elbow inflammation — this seems like a pretty weak return for the Red Sox. Mead has broken out nicely with a .256/.351/.505 line this year, but not with the kind of exit velocity numbers that suggest he’s going to be an above average regular going forward, especially given his lack of defensive value. The Red Sox figure to use him a lot at DH for now and then mix him at third and first if Roman Anthony gets healthy and the outfield gets overcrowded again. Masataka Yoshida will lose at-bats in Boston. The Nationals will recall Brady House to replace Mead, according to Spencer Nusbaum.

Yoshida is slashing .355/.394/.645 in nine games in July with two home runs, six runs scored, and seven RBI, so it makes sense to try and get him as many at-bats as possible in this one. Anthony Seigler, who has been slumping of late, will head to the bench with Romy Gonzalez starting at second base and batting sixth.

Yoshida only plays against right-handed pitching, but he’s hitting .326/.380/.609 in his last 15 games with three home runs, 10 runs scored, and eight RBI. The Red Sox are allegedly looking to add a bat at the trade deadline and, if they don’t trade another starter, could mean that Yoshida gets pushed out of more designated hitter at-bats.

Yoshida’s homer wrapped around the Pesky Pole and went just 328 feet, meaning it would have been a homer in just one other park. Still, Yoshida is locked into a big role on a red-hot offense and seems like he should be a playable option down the stretch in most leagues. He’s hitting .354/.404/.625 in his last 15 games with three homers.

Yoshida draws his second consecutive start in the leadoff spot against a right-handed starter while Mickey Gasper got a turn atop the lineup during Friday’s contest. Yoshida is hitting .200 (10-for-50) with zero homers and three RBI over his last 215 games. He’s been a complete non-factor for fantasy purposes this season and figures to lose playing time once Romy Gonzalez (shoulder) is back from the injured list later this weekend.

It’s either a guy hitting .173/.271/.250 this month (Gasper) or a guy hitting .175/.250/.200 (Yoshida). They’ve combined for three RBI in 103 plate appearances, with all belonging to Gasper. Romy Gonzalez could take playing time away from both (and maybe take Gasper’s roster spot) pretty soon.

It’s unclear if Alex Cora’s frequent shoehorning of Yoshida into the Boston lineup early on this season played a role in his being let go, but it really should have. It has made sense for the Red Sox to roll out Yoshida against righties since Roman Anthony went down, but he’s still not helping at all, having hit .198 with one homer and five RBI in his last 30 games. It seems unlikely that the Red Sox will make a big change this year, but if Yoshida doesn’t pick it up, perhaps they’d be open to releasing him prior to the last year of his five-year, $90 million deal in 2027.

Gasper has been dealing with tightness in his groin, and the 30-year-old will get another day off after missing Sunday’s game against the Rangers. Masataka Yoshida will hit leadoff as the designated hitter with Gasper beginning Tuesday’s tilt on the bench.