Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said before Friday's series opener against the visiting Detroit Tigers that outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) is scheduled to take batting practice on Saturday. It'll mark the first time Yoshida has done so since he was placed on the injured list a month ago due to a strained left thumb. If he is able to take batting practice without discomfort, Yoshida expects to ramp up toward a minor-league rehab assignment soon and could return to the Red Sox at some point in June. Even though the 30-year-old left fielder felt like a fantasy bust before he got hurt, Yoshida was batting a healthy .275 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 runs scored through 24 games (80 at-bats) as Boston's primary designated hitter and can chip in across the board when available. With Yoshida on the shelf, veteran sluggers Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper are platooning for ABs at DH but aren't viable fantasy options.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) started hitting off of a tee earlier this week. The 30-year-old avoided surgery on his thumb, but he had been fully shut down from swinging a bat. It is nice to see him starting to show progress in his recovery. Yoshida has not played since April 28 and is likely still weeks away from returning. He was slashing .275/.348/.388 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 runs scored at the time of the injury. It will be interesting to see what the Red Sox do when he returns as their other outfielders have been relatively productive in his absence.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) got a third opinion on his left-thumb injury on Thursday and told two Japanese media members that he won't need surgery. Yoshida received good news after being placed on the injured list with a strained left thumb, and avoiding surgery will be huge in terms of a quicker return to Boston's lineup. The 30-year-old is eligible to come off the IL now, but he's not close to a return. We'll give you updates on Yoshida's progress with his injured thumb as he progresses. In the meantime, the contact artist and primary DH for the Red Sox should be stashed in most fantasy formats. At the time of his unfortunate thumb injury, he was hitting a strong .275/.348/.388 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored in 80 at-bats. Rob Refsnyder will likely be the biggest beneficiary for Boston until Yoshida is able to return.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) will get a second opinion on his injured left thumb, according to manager Alex Cora. Yoshida strained his left thumb last Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, and the club isn't ruling out surgery. There's no clear timetable for when the 30-year-old left-handed hitter will be able to return, but obviously he'll be facing an extended absence if he's forced to go under the knife. For now, fantasy managers must stash Yoshida in an IL spot until we know more. Before the injury, he was slashing .275/.348/.388 with two home runs and 11 RBI over 89 plate appearances. In the short term, Garrett Cooper, Bobby Dalbec and Dominic Smith could all see time as the team's designated hitter.

The Boston Red Sox's medical staff is still gathering information on outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida's (hand) injury, and surgery isn't being ruled out. Yoshida jammed his left thumb in Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs and landed on the injured list on Wednesday with a left-thumb sprain. If surgery is needed, he'll obviously need to miss extended time, but a specific timetable probably won't be known until after he goes under the knife. Until Yoshida is able to return, the newly acquired Garrett Cooper figures to serve as Boston's primary designated hitter. The 30-year-old Tanaka continues to make plenty of contact and is currently hitting .275 (22-for-80) with a nice .348 on-base percentage, but he only has two home runs and has driven in 11.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (hand) is going on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday. Yoshida underwent an MRI on his left hand after jamming it in Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs, and apparently the results were serious enough to require giving him at least 10 days off. The Japanese left-handed slugger hasn't shown much power in his season plus of action in the big leagues, but he makes consistent contact as Boston's primary designated hitter. Before his injury, he was hitting .275/.348/.388 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored. Recently signed Garrett Cooper (wrist) and Bobby Dalbec figure to be the biggest beneficiaries of Yoshida's injury as possible replacements at DH for Boston moving forward.

Boston Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (hand), who is out of the lineup on Tuesday against the visiting San Francisco Giants, is going for an MRI exam on his injured left hand on Wednesday. Yoshida is active on Tuesday but is unlikely to play. The 30-year-old jammed his hand in the game on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs and could miss additional time, depending on the results of his MRI. With Yoshida out on Tuesday, Tyler O'Neill is serving as the designated hitter and batting third, while Rob Refsnyder is in left field and hitting fifth against Giants right-hander Logan Webb. Yoshida, who has basically been the team's full-time DH, is hitting a decent .275 (22-for-80) but with only two home runs and 11 RBI to this point through the first month of the season.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (hand) was removed from Sunday's game in the sixth inning after jamming his hand in his first at-bat of the game. Manager Alex Cora said after the game that the team wasn't sure what the extent of the injury was and X-rays hadn't been taken yet. Yoshida is off to a pretty good start to the year with a .274/.357/.403 slash line, although his two homers and zero steals don't make him much of a roto league option in fantasy. An update on his status should come sometime on Monday.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (knee) has returned to third base on Saturday against the visiting Chicago Cubs, which has allowed outfielder Masataka Yoshida to return to the lineup as the designated hitter against right-hander Ben Brown. Devers is hitting in the two-hole, while Tanaka is batting sixth for the BoSox. Devers missed five games with a knee injury recently but has been hot at the plate since returning, going 7-for-13 with a homer, double, two RBI and three runs scored in three games. He's a must-start anytime he's active. Tanaka, meanwhile, returns to the fold after missing the last four games, although he has appeared as a pinch-hitter. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter has essentially become a DH only for Boston and is hitting .233 (17-for-73) with two homers and 10 RBI to start the year.

Boston Red Sox outfielders Tyler O'Neill and Masataka Yoshida are not in the lineup for the matinee game on Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians. Rob Refsnyder is in left field and is batting third, while Wilyer Abreu is in right field and hitting cleanup against Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie. O'Neill is getting the day off after playing the last two games upon his activation from the injured list. He went 2-for-9 in the last two games with four strikeouts and is now hitting .298 on the year with seven home runs and eight RBI. Yoshida is still considered the team's primary designated hitter, but he's out for the third straight game while the club eases third baseman Rafael Devers back from his knee injury. Devers is expected to be back at the hot corner by Saturday, which means Yoshida should be back as the DH by then as well.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida is once again on the bench for Wednesday's contest against the Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Carlos Carrasco. The lefty-swinging outfielder hasn't started a game since April 20 as it's unclear if he is dealing with an injury or is simply in manager Alex Cora's doghouse. He did make a pinch-hitting plate appearance on Tuesday, so it appears to be the latter. The 30-year-old isn't exactly off to a terrible start, hitting .250 with two homers, 10 RBI, a tiny 13.6% K%, and a .708 OPS in 21 games, production that grades out 6% above the league average, as per his 106 wRC+. Rafael Devers is back in the lineup at designated hitter while Tyler O'Neill and Wilyer Abreu are manning the corner outfield spots.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. This appears to be a routine rest day for Yoshida who has been off to a rough start at the plate. Currently, Yoshida is batting .211 with two RBI in five games. The hope is that a night off will help Yoshida get back on track. In his absence, Triston Casas will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth versus left-hander Alex Wood on Tuesday.