Alex Cora Comments On How Masataka Yoshida's WBC Performance Impacts Red Sox
· Yahoo Sports
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The Boston Red Sox have a surplus of talented outfielders, and Masataka Yoshida has made things even tougher for the Red Sox after his World Baseball Classic performance.
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With Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela slotted to be everyday players, Yoshida's playing time may have been expected to be limited. Duran and Anthony are expected to split designated hitter and left field duties. Rafaela and Abreu were slotted to play every day in center field and right field.
However, Yoshida hit very well in the World Baseball Classic and played solid defense as well, making things tough on Alex Cora. However, Cora is not viewing the tough decisions as a bad thing. It just means the Red Sox have no shortage of talented players. Yoshida played 27 innings in the field in the World Baseball Classic.
He is not known as a stellar defender, which is why he has spent most of his time as a designated hitter. With Duran and Anthony taking that spot, Yoshida's defense improving could actually create a path for him to get more at-bats.
“The fact that he played the outfield was good for us,” Cora said Monday at JetBlue Park, per MassLive's Christopher Smith. “It’s actually really good for us. He was moving well. He made some good throws that we saw. In the last game, there were some balls that were hammered in the left-center gap. He got to it, got rid of it. And the at-bats are always good.”
Yoshida hit .375 with two home runs and six RBIs in the World Baseball Classic. If his stellar offense carries into the regular season, Cora will need to find a way to get him in the lineup. It seems like Cora is happy that Yoshida showed the Red Sox something in the field. Now, Cora may be more comfortable playing Yoshida in right field periodically to help him get regular at-bats. He will need to get creative to get five players at-bats in four available spots.
“It’s on me,” Cora said. “My job is to use everybody, and I’ll make it work. We will make it work. ... We’re in a good spot. We got good players. We just have to make sure we keep them healthy. And it’s not a problem. It’s actually a luxury.”
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