On Monday morning, the Boston Red Sox solved their infield issues by acquiring the versatile Caleb Durbin in a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Now? Boston has to figure out a way to handle their outfield issues.

It's been well-documented all offseason: The Red Sox have five outfielders for three outfield and one designated hitter spot.

There is simply is not room for all of Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida to get in the lineup each day.

It's why we've spent all offseason listening to trade rumors involving Duran and Abreu, and it's why we've wondered aloud if Yoshida could be moved or cut.

Speaking at the first press conference of spring training on Monday morning, Red Sox front office leader Craig Breslow said he and manager Alex Cora will have to figure out how to get Yoshida reps in spring training, either at DH or in the outfield.

Now 32 years old, Yoshida signed a five-year deal with the Red Sox before the 2023 season. A solid bat-to-ball player, he had a good rookie season, hitting .289 with a .338 on-base percentage in 140 games. He's armed with decent power, as he hit 15 homers and drove in 72 that season.

However, he's had trouble staying healthy since then, as he played only 108 games in 2024 (10 homers, 56 RBIs). He played just 55 games in 2025, hitting only .266 with four home runs.

At his best, he's an integral part of the lineup, but we haven't seen him at his best since that 2023 campaign.

He's owed about $36 million over the next two years, so he's basically an impossible contract to trade without eating virtually all of the money. Do the Sox want to do that - or simply cut him and do the same thing? It seems like they'll try to avoid that at all costs.

Unfortunately, if there's a spring training injury, the problem could be solved, though that would be a difficult way to do it.

Yoshida is slated to represent Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic. Given that Japan is expected to go deep into the tournament, his absence could extend to almost three weeks.

That's half of spring training. Given his uneven roster status, he's going to miss out on valuable reps in that time, and he's going to miss out on opportunities to perform directly in front of Red Sox coaches and management.

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