Red Sox upcoming DFA could give Tigers slugging outfield option they've dreamed of

The Tigers have found some ways to paper over the cracks in their outfield, made by the losses of two, then three, then four of their center field options. Parker Meadows was supposed to play there everyday, then he went down with arm inflammation. Both Matt Vierling and Wenceel Pérez, the backup and backup-backup, joined him on the IL shortly thereafter. Manuel Margot, who was signed right before the season began to make up for those losses, also went onto the IL on Tuesday.

In the meantime, the Tigers have Ryan Kreidler and occasionally Riley Greene in center field, Kerry Carpenter bouncing between the outfield corners, and Zach McKinstry helping supplement in right field. Vierling is the furthest along in his rehab process, but the Tigers will want to have him bounce around the field when he returns.

So do the Tigers settle for Kreidler in center field for the foreseeable, or do they look for other options?

The Red Sox might make an outfielder available soon. Masataka Yoshida has been without a clear home at Fenway ever since Rafael Devers moved to DH to accommodate Alex Bregman at third base, and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal speculated that a DFA for Yoshida could be on the horizon.

Tigers should target Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida as replacement outfielder as DFA conversations mount

Yoshida has been on the IL since Opening Day, but that's kind of felt like a way for the Red Sox to stave off having to make a decision on his future. Boston still owes him $55.8 million through 2027, which is an amount the Tigers might balk at, but his offensive production in his first two seasons (.285 average, .776 OPS, 25 homers, 128 RBI) still make him an attractive option for the lineup.

Adding Yoshida would be a little like adding another Kerry Carpenter. They're both lefties who can mash righties, but don't really hit against fellow lefties, have recent histories of injury, and have been subpar on defense, leading their clubs to prefer using them more in a DH role. Still, Carpenter's only gotten one start as DH this season, and has been an at-least-average defender.

If the Tigers were willing to roll with the punches and move Riley Greene to center more often, Carpenter and Yoshida could post up at the corners. The team would gambling by sacrificing defense in the name of offensive possibilities, not assurances, but Yoshida is at least guaranteed to add a lot more to the Tigers' lineup than Kreidler.