Red Sox’ Masataka Yoshida exits game with left hamstring tightness

The Boston Red Sox may have suffered a blow to the designated hitter position on Saturday night.

Masataka Yoshida came up limp while running to second base on a double in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He appeared to pull something in his left leg and quickly limped off the field with a trainer.

The Red Sox announced shortly after that he left the game due to left hamstring tightness.

Here’s the moment he sustained the injury:

The severity of his hamstring issue is unknown.

Second baseman Anthony Seigler replaced Yoshida on the bases and at DH.

Yoshida has swung the bat well for Boston lately, so much so that he’s been the leadoff hitter dating back to the beginning of the club’s 15-game winning streak.

Since July 5, Yoshida has averaged .307 with three home runs, seven doubles, 17 RBI and 15 runs in 30 games (excluding Saturday). He’s drawn 11 walks and struck out 12 times over that span.

After missing much of 2025 due to right shoulder surgery, Yoshida has quietly been a valuable cog in the machine known as the 2026 Red Sox’ turnaround. The Red Sox are a deep team and could find a way to replace Yoshida via the active roster if he were to miss significant time, but injuries have piled up for the team all year.

In the short-term, Seigler and Jahmai Jones could be immediate options as their playing time has been reduced in the last couple of weeks.

Long-term, fortunately for Boston, it has reinforcements en route. Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are slated to begin rehab assignments in the coming days, interim manager Chad Tracy announced on Saturday. If Yoshida were out for an extended period of time, a mix of Anthony and Jarren Duran at DH feels natural.

Franklin Arias and Kristian Campbell have been swinging the bat well at Triple-A Worcester and could be call-up possibilities down the stretch and when rosters expand on Sept. 1.

Kaley Brown

Sports producer

Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.