Playing against the Orix Buffaloes, the Boston Red Sox outfielder launched an incredible home run for Team Japan.
Boston Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida hit a mammoth home run on Monday at the Tokyo Dome in Japan as Team Japan prepares for the World Baseball Classic, which begins on March 5.
Japan is the reigning WBC champion and expected to compete for the gold medal once again.
Playing against the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) League, Yoshida hit a home run well over 400 feet.
Per LouisAnalysis on social media:
Masataka Yoshida’s HR for Samurai Japan:
108.4 MPH EV (!)
415 feet
34 degree LA
Yoshida stole the show during batting practice and went deep against his former team.
His swing remains beautiful as ever.
About Yoshida
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. As you can see, he's armed with decent power, as he hit 15 homers and drove in 72 that season.
However, he's had trouble staying healthy in subsequent years, 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.
The question moving forward
For the Red Sox, how do they use him? Can they even use him?
The Red Sox have five solid outfield/DH options that need defensive time and/or at-bats and there's only four spots between the outfield and DH.
Will manager Alex Cora really cycle through Yoshida, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu? Will the Red Sox look to trade Yoshida, who has two years and $34 million remaining on his contract? Will they trade someone else? Will they simply cut Yoshida?
How does the WBC impact him?
Does Yoshida's absence make him less likely to make the Red Sox because he's unable to impress the staff in person? Does a solid WBC make him more likely to be traded because other teams will re-see his talent on the international stage?
Any of those situations are possible, frankly.
Yoshida is one of six Red Sox outfielders who are participating in the WBC, making camp particularly thin at the position. Anthony (USA), Rafaela (Netherlands), Duran (Mexico), Abreu (Venezuela) and Nate Eaton (Great Britain) are all playing.
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