Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Should be swinging bat this spring

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Monday that Yoshida (shoulder) is "making a ton of progress" and should be swinging a bat during spring training, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Yoshida underwent surgery in early October to repair a labral tear in his right shoulder. He's expected to be ready for Opening Day if all goes well during his rehab, and it sounds like he's checked off the necessary boxes thus far. Yoshida's name has come up in trade rumors this offseason, and while it appears the Red Sox would be happy to get out from under the $55.8 million he's still owed, they haven't been able to find any takers so far.