Once a team built around slugging designated hitters, Red Sox now struggle to fill the role

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A trip to Tropicana Field always brings to mind the night in 2015 when David Ortiz hit two home runs to right field off Matt Moore to reach 500 for his career.

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The Red Sox were once a team built around slugging designated hitters. From 2003 to 2022, Ortiz and J.D. Martinez took 75 percent of the team’s plate appearances at that position and combined to belt 540 home runs and drive in 1,729 runs.

The Sox led the majors in scoring during that time and won four World Series with Ortiz and then Martinez playing leading roles. Both were excellent postseason hitters, too.

Now the DH spot seems like an afterthought for the Sox.

Rafael Devers punished the ball for nearly half the season in 2025 before he was traded to the Giants. In the time since, the Sox have received only 15 home runs from their designated hitters over 154 games.

The 27-38 Sox have four homers and 26 RBIs from the position this season. Only the Diamondbacks had fewer homers, and the Padres fewer RBIs.

As a group, Sox DHs have hit .221 with a .626 OPS. That spot in the order once fueled the engine for the Sox. Now it holds them back.

Masataka Yoshida has 26 starts as the DH this season, including Tuesday night’s 4-3 loss against the Rays. He was 0 for 4 and has one home run and four RBIs in 113 plate appearances as a DH.

Roman Anthony had 13 starts before he went on the injured list and didn’t take to it, hitting .196 with a .599 OPS over 59 plate appearances.

The Sox have otherwise relied on utility infielder Andruw Monasterio (nine starts) and catcher Mickey Gasper (seven). Backup catcher Connor Wong batted ninth as the DH on June 4 against the Orioles and was 1 for 3.

An ungainly roster is to blame.

The Sox opened the season with four outfielders in Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, and Ceddanne Rafaela. Former manager Alex Cora rotated Anthony, Duran, and Yoshida through the DH spot before he was fired on April 25.

Duran became the primary left fielder once Anthony landed on the IL with a sprained right wrist on May 5. That left interim manager Chad Tracy using Yoshida, Gasper, and assorted others.

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Tracy is in a tough spot. Yoshida has been largely a disappointment since agreeing to a five-year, $90 million contract before the 2023 season. He had a solid .775 OPS over his first two seasons, but it has been .686 since.

Because of his defensive shortcomings, Yoshida is limited to being the DH or a pinch hitter.

It’s a day-to-day decision for Tracy — and one without good options.

“If there’s a righty on the mound, minus little changes here and there, you’re trying hard to get Masa in there,” he said. “There’s still times when you can use other guys.”

Gasper has started seven of the last 13 games behind the plate, taking him out of the mix on some days.

The situation should improve once Anthony returns, though that is not expected any time soon.

“Roman’s bat, you know what he’s capable of when he’s going good,” Tracy said. “There’s power; there’s discipline; there’s walks; there’s on base [percentage].

“It’s obvious what he can mean to a lineup when he’s healthy and available and in there … I don’t think that’s going to go away when we do get him back.”

A power-hitting everyday DH has become a rarity. The Dodgers use Shohei Ohtani there. Houston has slugger Yordan Alvarez, and the Rays get a lot of production from Yandy Diaz. But many teams use the spot to get position players a bit of rest.

Kyle Schwarber has been an Ortizian presence for the Phillies, having already belted 23 homers. He was a free agent after last season, but Philadelphia president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made sure to wrap him up.

It was Dombrowski who signed Martinez for the Red Sox before the 2018 season. He understood what a slugging DH could do in Boston.

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