Masataka

Yoshida

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.

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.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters that Gasper is dealing with the tightness, but the team also wanted to get Masataka Yoshida in the lineup. Gasper should be considered day-to-day with a good chance to get back in the lineup in the early portion of next week.

Gasper finds himself at DH and atop Boston’s lineup after going 1-for-5 with a run scored during the club’s 10-run outburst during Friday’s series opener at Fenway Park. The unheralded 30-year-old backstop has hit .272/.326/.346 with zero homers and five RBI in 90 plate appearances since coming up from Triple-A Worcester in mid-May. He can be safely ignored in most fantasy leagues. His presence atop the lineup is a more significant hit to Jarren Duran’s immediate fantasy appeal than anything else. It also seems to render Masataka Yoshida completely irrelevant as a bench bat.

Yoshida’s home run was his first of the season. He hit a solo shot off Bailey Ober in the second inning. Yoshida came up again in the fourth inning and roped a double off Ober. His OPS is up to .734. Yoshida has yet to clear an OPS of .800 in his four seasons in the majors.

It continues to be a completely bizarre season for Yoshida as he’s basically been eclipsed by unheralded reserve Mickey Gasper and utilityman Andruw Monasterio for at-bats against right-handed pitching since Roman Anthony hit the injured list earlier this month. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats until that equation changes.

Anthony was checked on by Boston’s training staff following an awkward swing during his first at-bat of the contest. He appeared to be dealing with some apparent right hand or wrist discomfort. He managed to remain in the contest initially before being replaced by Masataka Yoshida in left field. There should be an update on his status shortly. It’s obviously an extremely concerning development for the Red Sox, and fantasy managers.