Yoshida helped Japan win a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He went 7-for-20 (.350), including 2-for-4 in the championship game vs. USA...Yoshida hit two home runs in Game 5 of the 2022 Japan Series, including a two-run, walk-off homer that tied the series against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows...Orix went on to win its first championship since 1996...In the 2023 World Baseball Classic semifinals against Mexico, Yoshida tied the score at 3-3 in the seventh inning with a two-out, three-run homer and also threw out a runner at home in a 6-5 victory...Japan went on to win the tournament, defeating USA in the finals...He was named to the All-WBC Team after setting a tournament record with 13 RBI in only seven games...Attended Red Sox Fenway Fest in Jan. 2025, signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans...In Feb. 2025, visited the Gorham farmhouse in Gorham, Maine, for a ceremony hosted by the University of Southern Maine to honor Horace Wilson...Wilson was born in Gorham and traveled to Tokyo in 1870 to teach English, but ended up teaching students the game of baseball during class breaks...That marked the first time baseball was ever played in Japan.
2025
Completed his third season in the Majors, all with BOS...Was his 10th professional season after playing from 2016-21 in NPB...Missed the Sox’ first 93 games of the season on the IL recovering from right shoulder labral repair surgery...Started in 49 of the Sox’ 69 games after being reinstated from the 60-day IL on July 9, making 44 starts as the designated hitter, four in left field and one in right field...Played 41.0 innings in the field (33.0 in LF, 8.0 in RF) after playing only 1.0 inning in 2024...Recorded multiple hits in 15 of his 55 games, including nine of his 20 games in September...The Sox went 12-3 in games he recorded two-plus hits in 2025 and have gone 62-28 in 90 games since he joined the team in 2023...Hit .338 with an .838 OPS in 37 games at night (44-for-130, 13 R, 11 2B, two HR, 19 RBI, seven BB), compared to a .103 AVG/.379 OPS in 18 day games (6-for-58, two HR, seven RBI)...Hit .333 (17-for-51) with an .860 OPS when leading off an inning (five 2B, HR, two BB, HBP)...Also hit .318 (21-for-66) with no outs, compared to .238 (29-for-122) with one or two outs...Ranked eighth in AL in strikeout rate (11.7%, min. 200 PA)...In September, held the lowest strikeout rate in the AL (6.5%), ranking second in MLB behind SD’s Luis Arraez (6.2%)...Also ranked eighth among AL leaders in AVG (.333) for the month...Played in 11 Grapefruit League games, all starts as the DH, batting .286 (10-for-35), with a double, home run, five runs scored and seven RBI...Began the season on the 10-Day injured list recovering from right shoulder labral repair surgery...Was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 22...Played in five rehab games from July 2-6, between Double-A Portland (three) and Triple-A Worcester (two)...Made three starts as the DH and two in left field, going 4-for-14 with two runs, three RBI, two walks and a sacrifice fly...Was reinstated from the IL on July 9 after missing the Sox’ first 93 games...Made his season debut that night vs. COL, going 3-for-4 in a 10-2 Sox win (R, 2B, RBI)...Became the first Red Sox to record three-plus hits in their season debut which was not also on Opening Day or during the team’s season-opening series since Josh Reddick on May 26, 2011 at DET (also three hits)...Started in left field on July 20 at CHC, his first start in the field since Oct. 1, 2023 (played 1.0 inning in LF in 2024)...Recorded both of his games with a season-high three RBI within a span of five played, on July 30 at MIN (two-run single and solo HR) and on Aug. 8 at SD (sacrifice fly and two-run HR)...In a 10-game span from July 30-Aug. 13, hit .313 with a .948 OPS (10-for-32, three R, two 2B, two HR, 10 RBI, three BB, two HBP, two SF, SB)...On Sept. 2 vs. CLE, went 3-for-4 with two runs and two doubles, matching a season high with three hits (twice, also July 9 vs. COL) and extra-base hits (twice, also Aug. 8 at SD)...Started as the Red Sox’ leadoff hitter on Sept. 6 and 7 at ARI, his first two times batting leadoff in his MLB career...Recorded RBI in a career-high five straight games from Sept. 14-20 (six total)...Recorded nine RBI in a 12-game span from Sept. 6-20 and 13 RBI in his final 19 games of the season from Sept. 6-28...Both stretches followed a span of recording zero RBI in his previous 13 games from Aug. 17-Sept 2...Made his first career start in right field on Sept. 21 at TB...Recorded multiple hits in seven of 10 games from Sept. 14-26, including a season-high four straight from Sept. 20-24...Hit .436 with a 1.032 OPS over that 10-game span (17-for-39, five R, three 2B, HR, nine RBI, two BB, two SF, SB)...Recorded a season-high seven-game hitting streak from Sept. 19-26, batting .433 with a 1.102 OPS over that span (13-for-30, five R, three 2B, HR, five RBI, two BB)...Was his longest hitting streak since also going seven games from Aug. 13-19, 2024...Hit a solo home run in the first inning of the final game of the season on Sept. 28 vs. DET, giving BOS a 1-0 lead...Hit safely in eight of his final nine games, from Sept. 19 on, batting .368 with a 1.005 OPS over that span (14-for-38, six R, three 2B, two HR, six RBI, two BB)...In 20 September games, hit .333 with an .837 OPS (24-for-72, 10 R, five 2B, two HR, 13 RBI, three BB, two SF, SB).
2024
Played in 108 games for BOS, with all 98 of his starts coming as the DH...Also played one inning in LF...Missed 37 games on the Injured List with a thumb injury...Led the Red Sox in strikeout rate (12.4%) and ranked 3rd in AVG (.280) and OBP (.349)...His strikeout rate of 12.4% ranked eighth in MLB (min. 400 PA)...With RISP, struck out only nine times in 108 PA (8.3%), MLB’s fifth-lowest rate (min. 100 PA with RISP)...With runners on, hit .329 with a .939 OPS (51-for-155, 8 HR) and as many walks (14) as strikeouts (14)...With two outs and RISP, recorded a .439 AVG/1.174 OPS (18-for-41, 8 BB, 6 SO)...Was 5-for-9 with the bases loaded (11 RBI, 0 SO)...eight of his 10 HR came with at least one runner on base...seven of his HR came in the sixth inning or later...Only two of his HR came with the Sox leading by multiple runs...Recorded a .310 AVG/.832 OPS vs. RHP (8 HR) and a .191 AVG/.565 OPS vs. LHP (2 HR)...The Sox were 29-7 (.806) when he scored at least one run.
2023
Made his MLB debut and finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting after leading AL rookies in hits (155), doubles (33) and AVG (.289)...Became the first position player born in Japan to play a full season with the Red Sox...The only other position player born in Japan to appear in a game for the Red Sox is Dave Roberts (August-October 2004)...Ranked fifth in the AL and 13th in MLB in AVG (.289)...Posted a 14.0% strikeout rate (81 SO/580 PA), the fifth-lowest mark in the AL and 10th lowest in MLB. Ranked second on the Red Sox in hits (155), third in RBI (72), fourth in runs scored (71) and XBH (51)...Led the Red Sox and ranked T-11th in the Majors with 50 multi-hit games, the most by a BOS rookie since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997 (68)...Led the Sox and ranked T-8th in MLB with 14 three-hit games...In 67 home games, batted .306 with a .360 OBP and .835 OPS (78-for-255, 21 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 18 BB, 4 HBP)...In 54 day games, hit .312 with a .372 OBP and .852 OPS (63-for-202, 9 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 16 BB, 4 HBP)...When leading off an inning, hit .390 with a .433 OBP, .585 SLG, and 1.018 OPS (46-for-118, 12 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 9 BB)...Hit two grand slams (4/23 at MIL and 7/16 at CHC).
2022
Set career highs in RBI (88), walks (80) and OPS (1.008). Helped lead Orix to the 2022 Japan Series title, the club’s first in 26 years...Hit a walk-off HR in Game 5.
