Red Sox Reinstate Slugger; DFA Former All-Star Weeks After Trading For Him

Boston has one of their core players back in the mix

Scott Neville | Jun 11, 2024

Apr 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A general view of Fenway Park before the Boston Red Sox home opener against the Baltimore Orioles. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have spent the majority of the season pivoting left and right as key pieces go down for various injuries.

While fans should be used to hearing about losing key members of the roster seemingly every time there is an injury update, we finally have a positive one about a player who has endured an incredibly strange start to his 2024 campaign.

"The Red Sox activated designated hitter Masataka Yoshida off the injured list before Tuesday’s game and made the somewhat surprising decision to designate first baseman Garrett Cooper for assignment to make room on the roster for him," MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported Tuesday.

Yoshida has been out of the lineup since April 28 with a left thumb strain and was used sparingly leading up to the ailment.

He'd been reduced to a designated hitter this season after spending the bulk of his rookie campaign in left field. To make matters worse, manager Alex Cora started to use him off the bench as a pinch hitter with less time in the starting lineup in the weeks leading up to the injury list designation.

Still, Yoshida can become a notable member of this roster down the stretch. Despite the negative connotation surrounding the Japanese slugger, he's hitting .275 with five extra-base hits including two home runs, 11 RBIs and a .736 OPS (107 OPS+) in 24 games thus far.

Given his .289 average and .783 OPS in his rookie campaign, it's easy to see how the 30-year-old can jolt the Red Sox's offense.

The release of Cooper comes as somewhat of a shock. The first baseman has struggled mightily since Boston acquired him in a minor trade from the Chicago Cubs on April 27 -- but he was expected by many to have a higher chance to stay on the roster than the likes of Bobby Dalbec or arguably rookie Jamie Westbrook.

Cooper hit .171 with four extra-base hits, five RBIs and a .456 OPS in 24 games since coming over to Boston.

The 33-year-old had a much better season a year ago and was an All-Star in 2022. Cooper likely will be claimed elsewhere and would be a long shot to return to the Red Sox as a member of Triple-A Worcester -- an opportunity he should receive in the coming days.

More MLB: Red Sox's Craig Breslow Reportedly Has Sights Set On Two Positions At Trade Deadline

Published Jun 11, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu