Red Sox Backup DH Proving His Worth in the 2026 WBC
Masataka Yoshida, in his return to Japanese baseball, has put the world on notice, one swing at a time. Just like the biblical Samson, who wielded superhuman strength when his hair was uncut, something special happens to Yoshida when he dons his home nation’s uniform. In the opening week of World Baseball Classic play, the Red Sox DH has raked, managing to hit .500 with two homers and six RBIs. For context, those WBC numbers are virtually identical to those of Shohei Ohtani, a Japan teammate and also the best baseball player in the world. This March surge might function as a shake-up for Boston as they try to make sense of a crowded MLB locker room, particularly in the outfield.
Masa, as teammates refer to him, is coming off his most lackluster season yet. In his defense, his 2025 performance was shortened and worsened by shoulder surgery. All the same, the .266 average and .696 OPS were career lows. This was especially indefensible after the introduction of elite prospect Roman Anthony to the Sox lineup. During the offseason, the consensus amongst fans and the media was that Yoshida would wind up on the bench more often than not come 2026. There are four competent outfielders ready to go on any given night, with one of them likely needing the DH slot, which renders Yoshida the odd man out.
All this being said, the situation may have grown more complex as the baseball world watched Yoshida light up the Tokyo Dome for a whole week of international ball. His home run against Australia on March 8th, a go-ahead two-run blast in the seventh inning, was a sight to see. As the lefty turned on a down-and-in changeup, the crowd lit up for their native son. Flags flew through the stadium, fans jumped up and down in the bleachers, and the roof threatened to burst as noise reached unprecedented levels. It is hard to watch it all go down and not imagine a similar sight at Fenway this season. Is this vision, this dream, this demonstration of talent in March, enough to topple the hitting hierarchy already forming in Boston?
This is a multifaceted debate that will continue for a long time. The lineup will continue to be tinkered with, given the personnel complications and manager Alex Cora’s preference for experimentation. Additionally, there is much more baseball to be played before the Classic is over, especially for the red-hot reigning champion Japan. The story of Masa is ongoing. The upside, free from upcoming regular season woes, is that the World Baseball Classic is delivering electric moments for Yoshida, Red Sox fans, and ball lovers around the globe.
