The Red Sox may have taken their biggest offensive hit of the night before the game was even halfway through.
Masataka Yoshida, one of Boston’s steadier bats this season, left Saturday night’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates with what appeared to be a hamstring injury after legging out a double into the right field corner in the top of the third inning. He was clearly in trouble as soon as he got past second base, hobbling four or five steps away before diving headfirst into the bag and signaling for a trainer.
As interim manager Chad Tracy went out to check on him, the Japanese slugger’s interpreter was seen mouthing the word “hamstring,” giving the bench a grim early clue about what might have happened.
Yoshida was pulled from the game and replaced by pinch-runner Anthony Seigler, who slid into the designated hitter spot. Boston still had three other players available off the bench after that move.
The concern is obvious. Hamstrings can turn into a short-term nuisance or a much bigger problem depending on the severity, and the first question the Red Sox will need answered is whether there’s a tear. A serious strain could send Yoshida to the injured list for a while, and the way he came up lame made it hard to imagine this being a minor issue.
If Yoshida does miss time, Boston has options to bring up a bat from Triple-A. The timing could matter, too, because there may only be a small window before veteran shortstop Trevor Story is expected to return from a rehab stint that is slated to start on Sunday.
There’s also a more intriguing possibility on the way. The Red Sox are expecting 22-year-old outfield star Roman Anthony to begin his long-awaited rehab stint on Tuesday.
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Martinez did not get claimed after going on waivers, leaving him in an unusual holding pattern within the organization. He now has the option to elect free agency, but for the moment he remains in the system, a reminder of how quickly a relievers path can change when a team is forced to juggle depth and health at the big-league level. [Read more 🡒]