Masataka Yoshida has gotten off to a hot start once again in the World Baseball Classic. Yoshida has started in left field and hit cleanup in the Samurai Japan lineup in each of the first three games.

His early production at the plate has included going:

Yoshida spent the first seven seasons of his pro career with the NPB’s Orix Buffaloes. He was a four-time All-Star and won a pair of batting titles in that stretch, while hitting a combined .327/.421/.539 with 161 2B, 133 HR, and 467 RBI. Deadset on pursuing an opportunity in MLB, Yoshida pushed the Buffaloes to post him following the 2022 season. He’d sign a five-year, $90 million deal to join the Boston Red Sox.

Playing in the 2023 WBC ahead of joining the Red Sox, Yoshida was 9-for-22 (.409/.531/.727) in seven games with a pair of home runs and 13 RBI.

Since joining Boston, Yoshida has slashed .282/.337/.425 (109 OPS+) with 65 2B, 29 HR, and 154 RBI. A torn labrum in his shoulder at the end of 2024 cost him half of the 2025 season.

It’s clear Yoshida is a talented hitter, but the Red Sox refuse to find a way to get him consistent playing time. It’s a curious development that really isn’t highlighted enough.

Part of Boston’s problem (let’s use the term loosely, as the fact is that most other clubs are envious of the depth Boston has here) is that they already have more starting-caliber outfielders than they have positions to play them. Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu, from left to right, give the team the best possible defensive alignment, which pushes Jarren Duran into a DH role. Of the four, only Rafaela finished the 2025 season with a sub-league average OPS (he hit .249/.295/.414, a 95 OPS+), but he also stole 20 bases and took home a Gold Glove Award for his work in center field.

Add in Nate Eaton putting up a 105 OPS+ in 90 PA for Boston last season (while hitting .290/.373/.483 at Triple-A) to the bench mix, and there is simply no room for Yoshida to see consistent at-bats.

Trading one of these players would have been the most prudent path, yet Boston showed a hesitancy to do so this offseason. Abreu and Duran each drew interest from other teams at separate points — rumors linked Abreu to the Astros and Duran to the Padres — but it never appeared as though a move might be close.

Instead, the Red Sox seem content to head into the season with Yoshida wasting away on the bench. Something will eventually need to give here.

Andrew Toles appeared in just 96 games over his three seasons with the Dodgers (a torn ACL early in the 2017 season forced him to miss almost the whole year). Toles slashed .286/.333/.459 (111 OPS+) with 14 2B, 1 3B, and 8 HR in 249 PA over that period. He looked as though he might be a real piece of the club’s future.

Toles failed to show up to spring training in 2019, with the club quietly placing him on the restricted list. Months later, it became public why: Toles had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A year later, Toles was homeless and found sleeping behind a building in South Florida. He was finally taken to a facility where he could get some help.

The Dodgers have continued to renew Toles’ contract each year, promptly placing him on the restricted list, so that he can take advantage of the club’s insurance coverage, but as Ed Guzman at the Los Angeles Times writes, that is no longer an option. Per team sources Guzman spoke with, Toles no longer meets the eligibility requirements to be tendered a contract. The team is “working with the Toles family to figure out how best to move forward”.

As much grief as the Dodgers receive for having MLB’s biggest payroll — the club’s “spending is ruining baseball” after all, if you believe some of the nonsense being spilled this offseason — the team ought to get more credit for how they’ve continued to support Toles and his family. The franchise could have easily walked away from a former player once he started experiencing mental health issues, but instead, they’ve stood behind him year after year.

Jurickson Profar’s second PED suspension in as many seasons has somewhat dominated much of the conversation for the past week, but there was a second player suspended. It’s a different situation, but it shouldn’t be overlooked.

Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas is facing an 80-game suspension following a failed test during the offseason. Rojas is appealing the results and is allowed to continue playing for Philadelphia during spring training games, per The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes and Matt Gelb. He was not allowed to join the Dominican Republic’s WBC team as planned, however.

Varnes and Gelb also note that Rojas has fired the new agent he hired earlier in the offseason, though it’s unclear what the exact connection is there.

Rojas made a quick impact on the Phillies after debuting midway through the 2022 season, hitting .302/.342/.430 (110 OPS+) with 13 XBH and 14 SB in 164 PA over 59 games (totaled 2.4 bWAR). In the two seasons since, however, he’s hit .237/.279/.312 (64 OPS+) with 24 XBH and 37 SB in 535 PA (totaling 1.2 bWAR). He’s also just 5-for-48 (.104/.140/.167) with 16 SO in 57 postseason plate appearances.

Rojas is considered an excellent defender in center field, but the continued struggles at the plate have been a concern for Philadelphia. As is, the 25-year-old Rojas was heading into the 2026 season as the team’s fourth or fifth outfield option. Potentially missing half the season due to a suspension could be hugely detrimental to his future with the club.

Separately, The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli makes a strong argument that lengthy suspensions (and the subsequent public shaming that comes with it) are proving not to be enough of a deterrent for players seeking an advantage. Ghiroli specifically points to the guaranteed nature of MLB contracts as part of the problem, or more accurately, the fact that teams have no mechanism to void deals following suspensions. Profar will sacrifice the $15 million due to him in 2026, but the Braves will still be on the hook to pay him that same amount in 2027 after now two suspensions. If he’s going to still get paid, what was to stop him from doing this?

Ghiroli’s argument is not 100% sound — it relies a little heavily on a Miles Mikolas quote in which he’s frustrated about the MLBPA’s efforts to defend Profar through his appeal process; Ghiroli fails to point out that it’s the union’s very job to defend him — but it still raises a fair question about whether suspensions are a strong enough punishment.

Penn State’s Medlar Field is home to both the Nittany Lions baseball team and the State College Spikes, one of six teams in the MLB Draft League (an amateur summer league that gives draft-eligible players a “final chance to improve their draft stock”). Penn State has filed a civil suit against the Spikes, however, alleging that the team failed to notify the university of plans to renew the lease at Medlar Field. The prior agreement expired at the end of September, according to Jack Anderson-Jussen at Onward State, though representatives from the Spikes insist that they submitted written notice to the university on time. Per Anderson-Jussen, “beyond possession of the stadium, Penn State is seeking more than $1.7 million in termination rent” plus monthly payments of nearly $40,000 for “use-and-occupancy fees” and to cover unpaid utility expenses.