After what’s been an uncertain situation, light has finally been shed on it. Once the Red Sox came to terms with Alex Bregman, the debate of who should play third base became a topic of discussion. The Red Sox approached Rafael Devers about it and he was quite adamant about him playing third base. The human element does kick in and players to take pride in what they do and the craft they try to perfect. The dust settled on that, but Devers has yet to debut in Spring Training.

Now Devers has spoke and has had a conversation with both Craig Breslow and Alex Cora. The best part about this is Devers is willing to do what it takes to help the team.

“We spoke already, and I’m good to do whatever they want me to do,” Devers said on Thursday. “I’m here to help. I’ve already spoken with them about that and they know where I stand, but I’m just ready to play.”

To help the viewers, this signals that Devers will be the designated hitter more than likely for the Red Sox while also seeing time at the hot corner. The infield for the Red Sox is stacked to the top. This is a huge deal for the Red Sox lineup and great for the Red Sox as a whole that Devers is good with this.

But the biggest question now remains, what do the Red Sox do with Masataka Yoshida?

Where Yoshida Fits In

Even before the Bregman signing, making sure Yoshida fits on this roster is extremely tricky. The Red Sox have the DH slot occupied and even last season the Red Sox were using Yoshida as a platoon DH and never saw the field.

When you take a dive into their projected lineup now, there truly is no fit. The infield is set in stone, with Triston Casas at first base, Trevor Story at Short Stop, and Bregman at third base. Second base is entirely up for grabs, but the consensus seems to be around Kristian Campbell taking that spot, as he’s gotten plenty of reps this spring. But it is the outfield that becomes tricky.

Jaren Duran is an every day player and can play center or left field. Alex Cora has already discussed that he wants to see Ceddanne Rafaela play more in the outfield, but is the perfect utility bat for this club. Wilyer Abreu is likely not making the Opening Day roster due to his injury.

So really the only scenario is Yoshida plays left field. The issue is, the team does not want to use him out there. He played over 700 innings in left field during the 2023 season and it wasn’t great, but not enough to warrant not playing him out there entirely. He finished the year with -6 defensive runs saved and -8 outs above average.

So truthfully, the Red Sox go the route of platoon DH again or they try him in left field.

Regardless, there is value with Yoshida despite the popular opinion.

Yoshida Does Bring Value

Yoshida is one of the best bats that the Red Sox actually have. Sure he isn’t going to give you Barry Bonds like power, but he is a player that makes contact and puts the ball in play.

Yoshida saw improvement, striking out 2% less than the season prior and also increased his walk rate. He was hitting .280 with a .765 OPS and even saw his wRC+ rise five points.

This is a player that does not whiff, and is still in the 72nd percentile for his chase rate. For a Red Sox team that had a major strikeout problem, having his bat in the lineup is wise.

He has value, but truthfully where is the fit? It’s a great problem to have with all the talent in the lineup and on the way. But has the Yoshida experience finally come to a chapter close and the club moves on?