Masataka Yoshida was an instant hit in his return to Red Sox lineup
After missing 93 games to start the season, Masataka Yoshida wasted no time making an impact in the Red Sox lineup. Yoshida went 3-for-4 in his return Wednesday night, and provided an early spark in Boston's 10-2 win over the Colorado Rockies at Fenway Park.
Yoshida was Boston's DH and hit sixth in the lineup in his first game back from the shoulder surgery he underwent last October. He got his first at-bat in the bottom of the second, when he stepped to the plate right after Carlos Narvaez smacked a solo homer to give Boston a 1-0 lead.
Despite playing in just five Minor League games before his return, Yoshida never lost his patented patience at the plate. He didn't bite on the first two fastballs from Colorado starter Antonio Senzatela, both of which went for balls, before Yoshida laced a single to center on his first swing of the season. The ball left Yoshida's bat at 97.6 mph.
Two innings later with Narvaez on second -- and eventually third after a balk -- Yoshida took a called strike before watching two balls from Senzatela. He chopped the fourth pitch of the at-bat off the glove of Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia, which plated Narvaez and put the Red Sox on top 2-0.
Yoshida grounded out on a 1-1 pitch in the bottom of the sixth, but finished his debut off with a ground-rule double to right field to lead off the bottom of the eighth. After taking a first-pitch strike, Yoshida patiently took three straight balls before he socked his double on a full count.
Patience at the plate. Professional at-bats. Hits all over the field. The Red Sox are glad to add Yoshida's bat to the lineup at a pivotal point in the season.
"Happy to have Masa back," Boston manager Alex Cora said after the win, Boston's sixth straight. "That's a big at-bat for us. You saw the difference today in how long the lineup was and that's without Ceddanne [Rafaela] in the lineup. We have to figure out who is going to play and all that stuff. But I think it's the deepest lineup we've had in a while here."
"It felt great," Yoshida said of his return through his translator. "I wanted to come back sooner than today. But it felt great."
Red Sox outfield shuffle
With Yoshida at DH, the Red Sox shifted star prospect Roman Anthony to left field on Wednesday. It was his second start at the position in the Majors, but first at Fenway Park in front of the Green Monster. The 21-year-old was tested early on when Jordan Beck hit one off the wall in the top of the first, but Anthony handled it like a pro. He played the carom off the wall perfectly and fired the ball into the infield to keep Beck to a single.
As Cora mentioned, the red-hot Rafaela was the odd-man out on Wednesday, with Jarren Duran shifting to center and Wilyer Abreu in right. It was Duran's fourth start in center this season, and he started a beautiful 8-6-2 play after a Michael Toglia double off the wall to gun down Tyler Freeman at the plate to end the top of the fourth and keep it a 1-0 game. Duran also smacked a 417-foot homer in the bottom of the eighth, as he homered for a second straight night.
Now the challenge for Cora becomes juggling all his talented and skilled outfielders. Yoshida will mostly DH against righties, but won't start against every right-hander, according to Cora. The skipper could also get creative and go with Rafaela at second base at times, which he said was a conversation the brass recently had.
The Red Sox offense feasted on the Nationals and the Rockies over the last week. But with Yoshida's professional approach at the plate back in the lineup, the Boston offense looked even stronger on Wednesday night. The Red Sox will now try to keep it up against a much better opponent, with the Tampa Bay Rays coming to town to start a four-game set Thursday night leading up to the All-Star break.
