Red Sox’ Masataka Yoshida leaves game with hamstring injury, likely heading to IL
The Red Sox DH, who had been hitting over .300 since June 10, had to come out of Saturday's game and is expected to miss time.
Pittsburgh - Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida suffered a strained left hamstring during Saturday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and was forced to leave the match. Following the 4-0 shutout victory, interim manager Chad Tracy indicated that the severity of the injury was still uncertain, but stated, "I think he's going to be down for some time."
Yoshida reported feeling pain as he approached second base and mentioned that he had previously experienced a similar hamstring strain while playing in Japan, which had required him to miss about a month. "I haven't done any testing so we'll figure it out," he added. During the third inning, with Nick Sogard at first and one out, Yoshida, batting leadoff, hit a double to right field.
However, as he approached second base, he stumbled and slid awkwardly into the bag. He then went to the training staff and left the field, replaced by Anthony Seigler. The Red Sox confirmed that Yoshida left the game with left hamstring tightness. The Boston native had been hitting .306 with an .825 OPS over his last 41 games. He has started 66 games this season, all but five as the team's designated hitter.
For the year, Yoshida's statistics are .274/.347/.399, with five home runs and 28 RBI. If Yoshida requires an injury rehabilitation stint, the Red Sox have several options at Triple-A Worcester, including Romy Gonzalez and Nate Eaton, who both have big-league experience and are on the 40-man roster. Another possible replacement is Mickey Gasper, who has shown strong performance lately and could provide the team with another switch-hitter and a third catching option.
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