The injury bug has bitten the Boston Red Sox pretty hard, and Tanner Houck joining Walker Buehler on the IL is an example of that. Chances are, when Houck and especially Buehler get activated off the IL, there's a good shot that they'll slot back into the team's rotation, whether Red Sox fans want that or not. When Triston Casas returns to action next season, he'll almost certainly be Boston's first baseman. For Masataka Yoshida, though, it's not looking like he'll have a job to come back to.
Yoshida has been sidelined all season thus far as he attempts to return from offseason shoulder surgery, and at this point, it's anyone's best guess as to when he'll be ready to rejoin the Red Sox. He's able to swing a bat, as Red Sox fans saw in spring training, but he has been behind on his throwing progression. Until he can make throws from the outfield without issue, the Red Sox are keeping him sidelined.
When and even if Yoshida can return, Boston's already complicated situation will only add another layer.
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Masataka Yoshida does not have a role to play on the Red Sox
This is a weird situation, to say the least. The Red Sox gave Yoshida a five-year, $90 million deal ahead of the 2023 campaign, hoping he could be their left fielder. While his bat has been mostly solid, his glove has been an unmitigated disaster. It's been so bad, in fact, to the point where he played a total of one inning in the field all of last season.
The Red Sox commitment to having Rafael Devers serve as their full-time designated hitter made Yoshida's role tough to envision. With an outfield consisting of Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu with Roman Anthony knocking on the door as well, there isn't exactly room for Yoshida in the outfield either.
The Red Sox could bring him off the bench, but what would the purpose of that be? He doesn't run well, isn't a good defender, and there aren't many hitters that'd need to be pinch-hit for. They could use him at first base, potentially, but he hasn't ever played that position.
This isn't what the Red Sox envisioned when they gave him that expensive contract, but when Yoshida's return starts to get close, Boston is going to have another sticky situation to sort out.