BOSTON — For the second straight winter, the Red Sox have entertained the idea of trading Masataka Yoshida with the knowledge that their roster would likely be more functional without him on it. And even Yoshida, who appeared at the team’s Fenway Fest event Saturday, knows a move is possible.

“I kind of kept (the rumors) muted so I wasn’t really paying attention,” Yoshida deadpanned, through interpreter Yutaro Yamaguchi, before breaking character. “I did pay attention to those but it’s out of my control so we’ll see what happens.”

The Red Sox are too left-handed and have more talented position players than roster spots. That would seem to make Yoshida, who was limited to the designated hitter role in 2024, expendable. The Sox, however, have had a hard time finding someone willing to take Yoshida, who is due $55.8 million over the next three years and had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder in October. If they enter the year with Yoshida on their roster, they’ll try to get the most out of him. That path may include a return to the outfield for a player who made 84 starts in left field as a rookie in 2023 before being limited — in large part due to his injury — to a single inning in emergency outfield duty last year.

“It would be great for the roster, to be honest with you,” said manager Alex Cora. “He’s a good hitter. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best left-handed hitters in the league. I think the whole shoulder thing, if you look at the numbers, whenever he wasn’t feeling great, there were a lot of ground balls and a lot of quick outs. The outcome was early because he didn’t feel comfortable doing it. We still believe in the hitter. We still believe he can hit the ball in the air. When healthy, he can help us. If he can play in the outfield, that would be great for our roster.”

Boston’s refusal to play Yoshida in the outfield was a source of confusion throughout 2024. The team never disclosed that he was battling the shoulder injury and it never required an injured list stint. Only on the last day of the season did Yoshida acknowledge that it had bothered him all season. He had surgery days later.

Throughout the year, Cora adamantly repeated that Yoshida’s lack of outfield exposure was not due to health, but rather the fact the Red Sox were comfortable with the defensively strong group of Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Tyler O’Neill and Rob Refsnyder. He reversed course Saturday, finally acknowledging that the shoulder issue hampered Yoshida’s throwing so much that playing him in the field (outside of an emergency inning on April 11). That Yoshida was limited to the DH role hamstrung the roster on certain days, which is something the Red Sox hope to avoid in 2025.

“Yeah, our outfield defense was great last year, but in a perfect world, if he was healthy, he was going to play the outfield,” Cora said. “The throwing part of it wasn’t there so that’s the reason he actually didn’t play. Hopefully, we can get him there and we can use him in the outfield, too.”

Yoshida has spent most of his offseason in Boston rehabbing with team trainers. In two weeks, he said, he’ll take dry swings, with his throwing program likely starting in March. That timetable could have him ready for Opening Day, though it’s possible he’ll only be able to hit early in the season as he ramps up throwing. The Red Sox would seem to be set in the outfield with Abreu, Rafaela, Duran and Refsnyder returning, Roman Anthony on the way from Triple-A and other additions possible.

If he is on the roster come Opening Day, Yoshida is looking for a breakout season after two mediocre seasons. So far in the majors, he has hit .280 with 25 homers and a .775 OPS in 248 games while slumping for long stretched at a time.

“I obviously haven’t played up to fans’ expectations yet,” Yoshida said. “All of the stats and results I had in Japan are not as reflected as I’d hoped. Obviously, I want to play up to their expectations and keep improving.”