The Boston Red Sox have updated reporters on the status of two currently sidelined players — one is hopeful, the other, not so much.
Manager Alex Cora has announced that designated hitter Masataka Yoshida will need a stint on the injured list to rehab a hand injury. The 30-year-old was pulled from Boston's April 28 game against the Chicago Cubs after he jammed his hand in his second at-bat.
Yoshida underwent an MRI on April 30 and the results have not been released, but they are likely not ideal as he's headed to the IL. Yoshida is the 13th Red Sox on the injured list as of May 1.
While Rafael Devers and Tyler O'Neill recovered from smaller-scale injuries, Cora placed them in the DH slot over Yoshida, who went a week without a start. Once he was put back into the lineup, his bat began to pick up and Yoshida is slashing .318/.375/.477 in his last 13 games.
Red Sox place Masataka Yoshida on the IL, give delayed return date for Vaughn Grissom
Cora says on @JonesandMego Yoshida is going on injured list
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) May 1, 2024
After he missed his expected debut date with the flu, Boston has a new timeline for Vaughn Grissom's first outing in a Red Sox uniform. The young infielder will attend Thursday's game at Fenway Park to determine if he will travel with the team to its next series against Minnesota at Target Field.
If Grissom feels well enough to travel, his debut would come against his former team, the Atlanta Braves, on May 7 or 8.
The infielder has been sidelined since spring training and was in the back of Red Sox fans' minds as the big-league infield fell apart. His return is later than much of Red Sox Nation hoped, but finally hearing an estimated debut date is better than news of another setback.
Grissom batted .333/.444/.400 with a .844 OPS during his nine rehab appearances with the Woo Sox. His bat will make a nice addition to Boston's depleted lineup.