Red Sox place Masataka Yoshida on 10-day IL with left thumb strain

By MAUREEN MULLEN
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox placed designated hitter Masataka Yoshida on the 10-day injured list with a left thumb strain. The move, before Wednesday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants, is retroactive to April 29.

Yoshida injured his left hand when he was jammed on a pitch during his first at-bat in Sunday’s win against the Chicago Cubs. Yoshida stayed in the game, singling in his next at-bat, before coming out. He was examined by a hand specialist on Tuesday. Before Wednesday’s game, while manager Alex Cora spoke to the media, Yoshida was undergoing an MRI on his hand, which was significantly swollen.

“His hand is huge right now,” Cora said. “Hopefully, we know what’s going on and take care of him in 10 days and he’ll be back. But in that game, he actually felt it in the first (at-bat), got worse in the second one.”

Yoshida, 30, is in the second year of a five-year, $90 million contract. He has had difficulty finding his way into the lineup this season.

In 2023, he appeared in 87 games, 84 starts, in left field. Except for one inning in left field this season, the left-handed hitter has been limited to serving primarily as the DH against right-handed starters.

Yoshida had just resumed regular action after being out of the lineup for five of nine games while third baseman Rafael Devers and outfielder Tyler O’Neill served as the DH as they returned from injury.

He is batting .275 with a .348 on-base percentage and .388 slugging percentage in just 24 games, 20 starts, this season.

Including Yoshida, the Red Sox have 14 players on the injured list.

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