Details have emerged on the demotion of Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida. The club announced Saturday that Yoshida, who signed a five-year, $90 million contract with Boston in 2022, would begin this season in Triple-A Worcester to âcontinue to build out his throwing program.â
Contract clauses, rehab rules, and some quiet trade chatter may be setting the stage for a bigger shake-up.
MLB.com’s Ian Browne reported late Saturday that “there is no [roster] exemption for position players to be extended on rehab assignments due to arm surgery,” and that Yoshida “can be placed on a 20-day rehab assignment once he is ready.”
Yoshida underwent surgery on October 3, 2024, to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Per league MLB rules, rehab assignments are limited to 20 days for position players. Transaction rules donât allow extra rehab time for position players just because the injury involved a player’s arm. Pitchers, for example, can sometimes get up to 30 days. But position players get a hard cap of 20 days, regardless of the nature of their injury.
Often, MLB players with certain types of contracts (especially international signings or veterans) can negotiate clauses that prevent teams from demoting them to the minor leagues without their approval.
In Yoshidaâs case, the Red Sox canât officially option him to the minors after his 20-day rehab stint unless he agrees to it.
âHe’s [throwing] up to 100 feet right now, and we talked about it; we need him to play defense,â Red Sox manager Alex Cora told MLB.com yesterday. When asked if Yoshida would require all of the allotted 20 days to get his throwing shoulder game ready, he replied, âItâs kind of [up] to his tolerance.â
The question now is if after 20 days Yoshida’s throwing arm will be game ready and there still won’t be a fit for him on Boston’s major league roster. Might Yoshida request a trade or an outright release at that point? Any team that claims him on waivers would be responsible for the $55.8 million remaining salary over the next three years (2025â2027).
The team’s outfield mix already includes Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Rob Refsnyder.
It should be noted that the Red Sox tried to trade Yoshida and Triston Casas to the Seattle Mariners this offseason but were rebuffed.
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