Red Sox Officially Place Masataka Yoshida On Injured List In Latest Lineup Blow originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox officially will be without Masataka Yoshida after the veteran suffered a hamstring injury against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Boston is placing Yoshida on the injured list and calling up utility player Mickey Gasper from Triple-A Worcester to take his roster spot, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
Yoshida suffered a left hamstring strain while running out a double during the third inning of Saturday’s 4-0 win at PNC Park. He reached second base but stumbled as he approached the bag and immediately grabbed the back of his left leg.
The 33-year-old was able to walk off the field, but Boston quickly determined that he would require time on the injured list. Yoshida also revealed that his only previous hamstring injury, which occurred while he was playing in Japan, sidelined him for approximately one month. That does not guarantee an identical recovery timeline, but it creates concern that he could remain unavailable until September.
Red Sox Lose Masataka Yoshida At Difficult Time
Yoshida’s injury interrupts one of his most productive stretches of the season. The left-handed hitter recorded 11 hits in his previous 33 at-bats before Saturday. He entered the weekend batting .274 with a .347 on-base percentage, five home runs and 28 RBIs.
Masataka Yoshida is being placed on the IL with a hamstring injury and it’ll be Mickey Gasper getting the call-up to take his spot, per @alexspeier. pic.twitter.com/jYt2eGDIeE
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) August 16, 2026
Yoshida also provided Boston’s only extra-base hit against Pirates starter Jared Jones. His double left the bat at 103.6 mph before the play ended with him suffering the injury. The Red Sox have enough outfield and designated hitter options to cover Yoshida’s at-bats temporarily. Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras could receive additional time at designated hitter depending on matchups.
The larger concern is the growing number of unavailable players.
Boston already has Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Curtis Mead and Garrett Whitlock on the injured list. Garrett Crochet also remains sidelined by left shoulder inflammation.
Story began a minor league rehab assignment with Worcester on Sunday, while Anthony is expected to begin playing for Double-A Portland on Tuesday. Their potential returns should eventually help Boston absorb Yoshida’s absence.
Neither player, however, is ready to immediately replace him.
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Mickey Gasper Earns Another Red Sox Opportunity
Gasper returns to Boston after producing impressive numbers with Worcester. The versatile 30-year-old was batting .337 with nine home runs, 42 RBIs and a 1.016 OPS across 196 Triple-A at-bats this season. Gasper can play catcher, first base and second base, giving interim manager Chad Tracy additional flexibility.
His major league results have been more modest. Gasper batted .243 with seven RBIs and a .613 OPS in 34 games for Boston earlier this season. He did not hit a home run in 107 at-bats, but his performance since returning to Worcester made him a logical replacement.
The Red Sox do not need Gasper to completely replace Yoshida’s production. They need him to provide competitive at-bats and cover multiple positions until Anthony or another injured regular returns. Boston managed to overcome Yoshida’s departure Saturday behind Sonny Gray’s seven scoreless innings and a late offensive surge. The Red Sox scored three insurance runs in the ninth to secure their second win in three games following a five-game losing streak.
They will now attempt to keep that momentum without another important hitter.