Masataka Yoshida was pulled from the Boston Red Sox's game against the Chicago Cubs on April 28. The designated hitter took a pitch to the hand and manager Alex Cora expressed concern for the designated hitter during the postgame presser.
Yoshida stated that the time that he didn't think he would need imaging on the injured hand, but he was sidelined the following day and his stint on the injured list was announced shortly after.
The DH has been diagnosed with a left thumb strain and Cora believes he'll be back and healthy at the end of his 10-day IL session. Many fans have doubts about Cora's assertion, though.
The skipper has made similar statements about the nature of Nick Pivetta's injury. The hurler was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to April 6, and Cora expected him to be ready at the end of, or soon after his stint. Almost a month later, Pivetta is just gearing up for a rehab start.
Fans aren't confident in Red Sox's timeline for Masataka Yoshida's return
Alex Cora on Masataka Yoshida
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) May 1, 2024
“His hand is huge right now,” Cora said. “So hopefully we know what’s going on, take care of him, 10 days and he’ll be back.”
MRI happened around 4 p.m. so no results back yet.
After Garrett Whitlock was pulled from Boston's April 16 game against the Guardians, he was placed on the 15-day IL with an oblique strain. As of April 28, the righty has made no progression towards returning to pitch — he's still feeling the injury when he throws, and training staff is keeping him from the mound until he's healed.
On May 2, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe tweeted that Red Sox medical staff is still trying to determine the best course of action for treating Yoshida's injury. It sounds like surgery could be an option, which hardly sounds like the 10-day injury Cora described.
Yoshida's bat was beginning to heat up when he jammed his hand and it's concerning to hear the Red Sox offer such inconsistent updates about the state of his thumb. Hopefully, Cora's 10-day estimate ends up being correct, but for now, fans aren't optimistic.