Red Sox Slugger Pulled From Lineup Last Minute Due To Nagging Injury

Another injury hits the Boston lineup ahead of Wednesday’s game

Within one week, the Boston Red Sox are down two crucial pieces of the starting lineup.

Newly acquired slugger, Masataka Yoshida, has been ruled out for the third game of the Red Sox's four-game series in St. Petersburg against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Yoshida is dealing with a sore right hamstring and has been taken out of the lineup with no timetable for his return scheduled yet. 

“Team official says they don’t think (the injury) is serious,” The Athletic’s Chad Jennings tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “New lineup has (Bobby) Dalbec at short with (Kiké) Hernández moving to center and Raimel Tapia moving to left.” 

Yoshida has been hitting .216 with a double, a home run, and six RBIs through 37 at-bats this season. 

The 29-year-old has had a slow start to his career in the majors, obviously having to adjust between the different style of play and atmosphere in Japan.

“The velocity is the biggest difference,” Yoshida told MLB.com's Ian Browne when asked about the difference between MLB and NPB pitchers. “And then, the pitchers in the United States, they love to use the changeup more than the splitter.” 

Although Yoshida has been struggling early, he's still deemed a rather large part of the lineup -- manning the No. 4 spot. For now, he’ll be resting his hamstring on the bench.

These kinds of injuries typically are not big enough to warrant stints on the injured list but could result in a few late scratches as they typically prolong and reappear sporadically. 

One advantage is that he has age on his side -- J.D. Martinez did not when dealing with a tight back last season and missed a good chunk of time.

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