With hot July at plate, Masa is mashing again
Ian Browne
This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BOSTON — Of all the important developments for the Red Sox during July, perhaps the most underrated was the resurgence of Masataka Yoshida.
Make no mistake about it: Masa is mashing again.
The left-handed-hitting DH slashed .333/.411/.487 with three doubles, three homers and 20 RBIs in 21 games in July.
Yoshida’s .898 OPS in July was his best in a calendar month since May of 2023 (.962).
The Red Sox are seeing the best version of Yoshida, in that he now has over a season and a half of experience under his belt and he is also healthy again after playing through a painful left thumb strain that eventually forced him to the injured list on May 1.
“After I came back off of the injured list, I had a fear of swinging strong,” Yoshida said through an interpreter. “As I get more at-bats, that fear is kind of gone. Right now, I can just swing it carefree.”
Other than swinging with abandon, Yoshida has also made mechanical adjustments that have allowed him to lift the ball again rather than the habit he was getting into of rolling baseballs over to second base.
“I think the most important thing is to utilize the lower body as efficiently as possible, and try to not just use the hands,” said Yoshida. “Just use that lower body and also just try to finish strong. Finish the swing really strong.”
Yoshida has inspired enough confidence in manager Alex Cora that he’s been hitting third against righties in recent weeks.
“We talked about it … with [hitting coach] Pete [Fatse] and the group,” said Cora. “There was a lot of stuff that happened here [at the ballpark], but there’s a lot of stuff as far as like feeling comfortable. His family is here.”
Only recently have Yoshida’s wife and two children been in Boston during the season full-time, and it’s perhaps no coincidence that development has coincided with his hot streak.
“Now that they’re here, I get to spend time with my family, and I think I have more bonding moments with my family,” Yoshida said.
Adjusting to life in the Major Leagues is hard for anyone. But for players who come over from Japan and have to make major cultural adjustments in short order, it can be even harder.
“There’s a lot of stuff that he had to learn throughout the year [last year],” said Cora. “Now, finally, you see him feeling very comfortable with everything that goes on here.
“Offensively, he is who he is. He’s a good hitter. We knew that. He’s getting pitches that he can drive. He’s been very patient. You see his walks, his takes are solid. He’s healthy, too. That’s the most important thing. He was out for a while. He only had eight at-bats in the Minor Leagues. Timing-wise, he’s in a good place.”
