"Individual dreams must be cherished the most": Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida will reportedly play for Japan in World Baseball Classic

Boston Red Sox fans will not have Masataka Yoshida as much as they might like in preparation for the 2023 season. The Japanese outfielder has reportedly committed to playing for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) this March and will miss the majority of MLB Spring Training.

🇯🇵WBC NEWS - JAPAN🇯🇵

Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (吉田正尚) is committed to play for Samurai Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

This comes as a surprise to many, as the thought was he may skip the WBC to focus on his first MLB Spring Training in Boston. https://t.co/ppuUuv6NtP

According to Sansei Sports, Masataka Yoshida has agreed to join the two-time WBC champion's Japanese squad for the MLB-sponsored worldwide baseball tournament that runs from March 8th-23rd. No official announcement has been made as of yet. 2023 will mark the fifth time that the WBC has taken place, beginning in 2006. The last WBC took place in 2019.

“Individual dreams must be cherished the most. Is there any possibility among them? It is absolutely no good to disturb or destroy individual dreams,” Japanese national team manager Hideki Kuriyama told Sansei in regards to Yoshida.

Yoshida signed a five-year, $90 million contract on Dec. 15th, and immediately endeared himself to Red Sox fans by speaking for a full minute in English -- a language he does not speak -- during his introductory press conference.

The 29-year-old Yoshida is reportedly currently in Fort Myers, Fla., where the Red Sox's Spring Training facility is located. However, according to the report, he will join the Japanese national team's training camp on February 17th.

It will be the first time that Yoshida has competed with Team Japan in the WBC. Japan won the first two WBC tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Japan finished third in the 2019 WBC.

Masataka Yoshida was one of two heralded Japanese players to make the switch from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) to MLB this winter. Pitcher Kodai Senga, an Olympic teammate of Yoshida's, joined the New York Mets. Senga pitched professionally in Japan for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Big hopes for Masataka Yoshida in Boston

Masataka Yoshida #34 of Team Japan breaks his bat

Masataka Yoshida may have already won over the Red Sox with his auditory skills. Meanwhile, it's his physical gifts that the team hopes to put to good use in 2023 and beyond. For his part, Yoshida hopes to bring more than just charm to Fenway Park after his service with Team Japan.

The 29-year-old played seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s NPB. The left-handed slugger batted .327 with 133 home runs and 467 RBI in 762 games with the Buffaloes.

A four-time NPB All-Star and two-time Pacific League batting champion, Yoshida led the league in OPS in both 2021 (.992) and 2022 (1.008). He won the 2022 Japan Series title with Orix and helped lead Japan to the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.