Red Sox Announce Bad News on Masataka Yoshida's Hamstring Injury

Will we get any more Yoshida in the regular season?

Aug 15, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (7) looks on before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There was Boston Red Sox injury news on Tuesday, and it wasn't good.

Masataka Yoshida, who exited Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after obviously messing up his hamstring, was already on the 10-day injured list. Now, we know he'll be out quite a bit longer — perhaps the entire remainder of the regular season.

Though Yoshida has sometimes been the forgotten man for the Red Sox, he'd been putting up solid numbers on offense for most of the summer. Losing him for as long as the team appears resigned to absorbing won't be easy.

Yoshida won't be back until end of regular season (maybe)

Before Tuesday's game, interim manager Chad Tracy provided a status update on Yoshida, who underwent an MRI after the fallout of his injury. Per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, Tracy said Yoshida's strain is significant enough that the best-case scenario for Boston is getting the designated hitter back near the end of the regular season.

Masataka Yoshida has a “significant” hamstring strain that will sideline him until near the end of the regular season, at least, Chad Tracy said.

The Red Sox are getting multiple opinions on Yoshida/his MRI.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) August 18, 2026

Typically speaking, a serious hamstring strain means a recovery time of 6-8 weeks, as a very rudimentary estimate. Holding Yoshida to that timeline would mean a return sometime between Sept. 26 and Oct. 10, which are very different dates on the baseball calendar.

Last year, that was the difference between the week the Red Sox clinched the playoffs and the week after their season was over.

Yoshida's exit, though it will cost the Red Sox some offensive impact, was at least well-timed when it comes to the returns of Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. It's far from guaranteed that anyone will match the impact Boston saw from Yoshida over the last two months.

Though Yoshida only sports a .746 OPS on the season, he slashed .316/.375/.500 in 35 games from June 25 on. And the Red Sox were 28-7 in those games in which he appeared.

We'll find out in the coming days how the Red Sox plan to structure the roster with no Yoshida. It remains to be seen if anyone they'll get to fill his seat can pick up the slack after losing that production.

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