Masataka Yoshida reaches three times against Jays

Yoshida is back at DH and hitting fifth after sitting out a pair of games over the weekend due to illness. The 33-year-old is hitting a robust .297 (19-for-64) with two homers and 10 RBI across 20 games since last month’s All-Star break.

Yoshida was feeling so under the weather on Sunday that he wasn’t even at the ballpark with his teammates. He’s back in the dugout on Sunday and could be available off the bench. Wilyer Abreu is functioning as the team’s designated hitter on Sunday with Eli White starting in right field and batting eighth against J.T. Ginn and the Athletics.

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 took Gerrit Cole deep for his first homer since May 24 and second of the year. He came into the day hitting .175/.250/.200 in 44 plate appearances in June, and he’s been sitting against some righties as a result. He could spend a lot of time on the bench in the second half if the Red Sox are able to get healthy or if they acquire some additional offensive help.

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.