Red Sox making Masataka Yoshida's return harder than it needs to be with 1B stunt

Boston Red Sox fans have been eagerly anticipating Masataka Yoshida's return to the lineup since the Rafael Devers trade. While they aren't the same caliber of hitter, the 31-year-old's .775 OPS across two seasons in Boston would seemingly work wonders for an offense that, on the whole, has struggled to find its footing without Devers. And with the Red Sox seemingly insisting last season that Yoshida was more of a DH than an outfielder, the fit to replace Devers would only be natural this year. So that begs a simple question after Wednesday: Why the hell does Yoshida have a first base mitt on?

Yoshida, who has been on the IL since spring training with a shoulder injury, was set to make his first rehab start on Wednesday in Worcester. The plan has been reported as him starting off as the DH and then getting some reps in the outfield this weekend with the WooSox. Yet, before the first pitch of their doubleheader at Polar Park, Yoshida was taking grounders at first base, which sent Red Sox fans into a bit of a frenzy.

Of course, after being optioned back to Triple-A following mighty struggles at the plate after a red-hot April debut, Kristian Campbell has also been working at first base in Worcester. This all comes as a result of, first, Tristion Casas' devastating knee injury and then Devers' refusal to play first base.

But when it comes to Yoshida in particular, working him at first base seems absolutely senseless at this point.

Red Sox are wasting their time with Masataka Yoshida's work at 1B

There will be fans who point out the obvious, which is that the 5-foot-8 Yoshida doesn't exactly fit the physical profile of an ideal first baseman. That's true, sure. However, the bigger truth at hand is that this experiment, whatever it is, doesn't make sense for either the team or the player at this point.

For one, the Red Sox, even if they won't admit it publicly, have all but confirmed they don't like Yoshida's glove in the outfield. But why would then switching him to a position that they're working with a top prospect in Campbell on to develop in make any reasonable sense then? It seems like they're simply taking Yoshida out of one log-jammed position and creating another crowded room as a result.

Furthermore, the value with getting Yoshida back is almost entirely in his bat. He's not coming back to be a defensive wizard in the outfield and is too green at first to be one there either. Instead, he needs to be an on-base threat in the heart of this Red Sox lineup to help jumpstart the offense, especially before the return of Alex Bregman.

What stands out most to me is how natural the fit for Yoshida could be, especially if the Red Sox ultimately follow through on the likelihood that they trade away either Wilyer Abreu or Jarren Duran before the deadline, at DH. If you platoon the lefty with southpaw-killing Rob Refsnyder in a platoon and then sprinkle him into some sporadic outfield appearances as well, that makes all the sense in this world for this offense and the need for a veteran.

Not only does that work best for Yoshida, the current platoon at first base also makes perfect sense. Especially once Bregman is back, having Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro, both of whom boast an OPS over .800 this season, split time against lefties and righties, respectively, could give this team the highest offensive ceiling. Why risk upsetting the apple cart there too?

Make no mistake, it's fun to see Yoshida at first and, for anyone who's seen the man's running form, it's no shock that he's already displaying perfect form at first base. However, if we're painting the picture of what's best for the Red Sox and the returning Yoshida, it's definitely not playing at the corner of the infield. So, maybe let's stop wasting our time there.