BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox placed designated hitter Masataka Yoshida on the 10-day injured list because of 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.

DAYS AFTER acquiring a veteran first baseman to help cover for the loss of the injured Triston Casas, the Red Sox added another.

The team signed veteran first baseman Dominic Smith to the major league roster.

Smith, 28, had been with the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple A affiliate, but had a May 1 opt-out as part of his deal. Smith slashed .263/.337/.375 for the Rays top minor league affiliate in Durham, with two homers and 11 RBI in 21 games. Last season, Smith slashed .254/.326/.366 with 12 homers and 46 RBI in 153 games for the Washington Nationals.

He previously spent parts of six seasons with the New York Mets. He owns a career OPS of .721.

Presumably, Smith will be part of a platoon at first base for the Red Sox, who will be without Casas until at least June 20. Casas suffered torn cartilage in his rib cage and was transferred to the 60-day IL over the weekend.

Smith is a left-handed hitter and could alternate with the right-handed Garrett Cooper, who was acquired from the Chicago Cubs over the weekend. Cooper was struck on the hand by a pitch in his Red Sox debut Tuesday night, but X-rays were negative.

ALSO WEDNESDAY, the Red Sox acquired infielder Zack Short from the New York Mets for cash considerations, just a few days after he was designated for assignment.

It’s already the fourth trade that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has completed since the start of the season.

Short, who turns 29 this month, was claimed off waivers by the Mets last November when the Tigers dropped him from their roster.

He played parts of three seasons with Detroit after originally being acquired from the Chicago Cubs in 2020. In 179 games, Short hit .204 with 13 home runs across 450 plate appearances. He served as the Tigers’ utility infielder for most of the 2023 season.

Short made the Mets’ Opening Day roster after a stellar spring, but after playing in only a handful of games and going 1 for 9, he was designated for assignment to make room for J.D. Martinez after the former Red Sox slugger completed a tune-up in Triple-A.

Short is out of minor league options, so he’ll likely be on Boston’s roster for the foreseeable future, especially considering the team’s slew of injuries in the infield. He has experience playing second base, shortstop and third base.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Red Sox pitch their sixth shutout of season in 4-0 win over Giants

Next »

Twins extend winning streak to 11 games with 5-2 victory over Red Sox