It’s probably not the move most Red Sox fans were hoping for, but the team did, at least, pull off a trade with the Angels to acquire some depth at the first-base spot, which has been left wafer-thin following the season-ending knee injury to slugger Triston Casas.
You’ll have to search pretty far down the all-time list of first basemen to find the acquisition in question: Ryan Noda, who has appeared in parts of two seasons (2023 and 2024) for the A’s. Noda had been designated for assignment by the Angels before the trade, after having struggled at Triple A Salt Lake with a batting average of just .148 with 53 strikeouts in 115 at-bats.
On Thursday, the Red Sox announced in a release, “The Boston Red Sox today acquired first baseman/outfielder Ryan Noda from the Los Angeles Angels, in exchange for cash considerations, and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club transferred outfielder Masataka Yoshida to the 60-Day Injured List.”
Red Sox Waiting on Yoshida
Noda did have a promising year in 2023, when he broke through as a rookie for the A’s and knocked 16 home runs while posting a slash line of .229/.364/.406. But he hit just .137 in 36 games in 2024 and spent most of the year at Triple A Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, moving Yoshida to the 60-day DL is an indication that his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery has hit a snag. Yoshida was the team’s DH last year, and with Rafael Devers now occupying that spot, the team needs Yoshida to contribute in the outfield. But his surgically repaired shoulder is not ready for that.
As Chris Smith of MassLive reported, Yoshida, “has been shut down from throwing for more than two weeks after getting a cortisone shot in his shoulder May 4, restarted his throwing program at Fenway Park on Wednesday, manager Alex Cora said. Yoshida played catch from 60 feet on the field before the game …
“He has continued offensive drills since the shot but the Red Sox want him fully healthy — and to be able to contribute both offensively and defensively — when he returns. Because he’s effectively restarting his post-operative throwing program, he’s nowhere close to being activated (or starting a rehab stint).”
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