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Red Sox’s Masataka Yoshida gets pivotal injury update from Alex Cora

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Benedetto Vitale | Last updated 5/11/24

Masataka Yoshida hasn’t played since April 28 after falling to injury. However, it sounds like he’ll be out of the Boston Red Sox lineup for a little while longer after manager, Alex Cora, provided an update. The good news is, Yoshida likely avoided a serious injury.

Reports indicate that Yoshida will avoid surgery on his thumb, according to MLB.com. Cora admits the Red Sox must be patient with Masataka Yoshida at this time. But the outfielder should return early in the summer. Here’s what Cora had to say about the injury.

“‘Yeah, no surgery, so that’s good news,’ said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. ‘Now we’ve just got to wait. Obviously treatment, and see how he feels in a few weeks. We go from there. No baseball activities, I mean, no swinging. At least we know at one point he’s going to be available and he’s going to be able to help us.'”

Yoshida is deemed returnable in “a few weeks.” If that’s the case, then the Red Sox outfielder should be ready to go in early June. But he’ll need some time to ramp up and return in full swing. So, mid-June could be a more realistic timeline for Masataka Yoshida.

“Yoshida got three opinions on his ailing thumb and it was decided on May 10 that he won’t need surgery. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said it will be ‘a few weeks’ before Yoshida even attempts to swing the bat.”

Red Sox 2024 season outlook

Alex Cora Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Sox are in the middle of the race in the American League East as they’re currently in third place. It’s been an uphill battle for Boston but they’re still in the mix. Despite that, injuries have plagued the roster and they’re trying to find ways to remain competitive.

Losing Triston Casas was a brutal blow and not having Masataka Yoshida in the lineup isn’t ideal either. But they’re just 6.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles and are at least in the mix for a possible Wild Card spot. But the season is far from over and this team could get hot if they get healthy.

With that said, look for several key players to return from injury in the coming months. If the Red Sox can get most of their key players back in the lineup and rotation they could be a problem late in the summer. But until then Boston has to remain in the hunt for their star players to help out late in the regular season.

August might be when this team finally gets healthy. So, it’ll be interesting to see how Alex Cora keeps his guys playing throughout the season. Although many don’t believe the Red Sox can make a playoff run they could be in the hunt late in the season.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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