The Texas Rangers have signed first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo to a minor league deal, per a tweet from the team's public relations Twitter account on Sunday. Also per the tweet, Tsutsugo will be invited to Major League Spring Training. The 30-year-old appeared in 50 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, hitting .171 with a .249 on-base percentage and a pair of home runs. He logged 193 plate appearances for the National League Central club, seeing all of his playing time at first base and designated hitter. He'll give the Rangers some additional depth heading into the 2023 season.
The Toronto Blue Jays officially signed free-agent first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo to a minor league deal on Wednesday, and he'll join Triple-A Buffalo. Tsutsugo was released earlier this month by the Pittsburgh Pirates after he hit just .171/.249/.229 with two home runs, 19 RBI and 11 runs scored in 193 plate appearances over 50 games. The 30-year-old left-handed slugger will now be hoping to impress at Buffalo in order to earn a call-up to Toronto's major league roster before the end of the season. Tsutsugo is on his fourth MLB team in just three seasons, and he's hit .197/.291/.339 with 18 home runs, 75 RBI and 65 runs scored in 182 games to this point.
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Ben Gamel (hamstring) and first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo (back) are both expected to be activated from the injured list prior to the team's two-game series against the New York Yankees, which begins on Tuesday. Both players have been out since late May. Gamel landed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain while Tsutsugo's move to the injured list was due to a lumbar muscle strain. Neither player is particularly intriguing for fantasy purposes. Gamel has a .257/.350/.386 slash line on the year while Tsutsugo is hitting just .177/.281/.257.
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo on the 10-day injured list on Thursday. The move is retroactive to May 25. The team hasn't formally announced the transaction yet, but Pirates beat writer Alex Stumpf reports that Tsutsugo is dealing with a muscle strain. Fellow infielder Tucupita Marcano will be taking his roster spot. Tsutsugo has appeared in 35 games this year and he's slashing .177/.281/.257 with two home runs, 15 RBI and eight runs.
Yoshi Tsutsugo Absent From Starting Lineup On Saturday
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, according to MLB.com. Tsutsugo is having a tough time at the plate, batting .188 with no home runs, seven RBI, and six runs. Since coming overseas, his bat hasn't shown up, as he sports a career .206/.307/.361 slash line. The Pirates will play Michael Chavis at first base in his place, batting fifth. The 26-year-old Chavis is batting .274 with three home runs and a .782 OPS. However, his production against right-handers isn't as shiny, as he owns a 100 wRC+ off of them this season. With righty JT Brubaker on the mound, Chavis can be streamed in deep and A.L leagues only.
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo is absent from the starting lineup for Monday's game against left-hander Eric Lauer and the Milwaukee Brewers. Michael Chavis will be covering first base for the game. This will be the first day off of the year for Tsutsugo, who hit cleanup in each of the team's first nine games of the year. He's currently slashing .241/.368/.241 on the young season. He's tallied four runs and four RBI, but he has yet to record his first extra-base hit.
Yoshi Tsutsugo Returning To Pirates On One-Year Deal
First baseman/outfielder Yoshi Tsutsugo agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal on Wednesday to return to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 29-year-old was picked up by the Pirates last season after he was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he hit .268 with eight home runs and 25 RBI in 43 games over the last two months of the season for Pittsburgh while playing first base, left field and right field. The Pirates have an open spot in right field heading into 2022, but it remains to be seen if Tsutsugo will fill that need because of his defensive shortcomings. The left-handed power bat hit a combined .217/.307/.383 in 262 plate appearances with the Rays, Dodgers and Pirates last year. Because he can be a liability with his glove, Tsutsugo could just be a power platoon bat from the left side for the Bucs.
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman/outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 7-6 loss to the Cubs on Saturday. It was Tsutsugo's sixth homer of the season all six of which have come since joining Pittsburgh as he's now slashing .268/.311/.829 with 12 RBI and seven runs scored over 18 games with the Pirates. He's looking like a decent play in deeper formats right now, and he's available in over 95 percent of formats. Managers should think about scooping him up for a boost in the fantasy playoffs.
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman/outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo is in the lineup on Wednesday night, where he'll start at first base and bat fourth against Arizona. Tsutsugo has been on fire ever since signing with Pittsburgh, slashing .333/.333/.944 with three homers, four RBI and four runs scored over eight games. In deeper format and DFS, managers may want to consider him as a potential streaming option against Diamondbacks starter Tyler Gilbert.
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman/outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored in a 5-4 win over the Cardinals on Saturday. It was his second straight game with a home run, as he's now slashing .385/.385/1.000 with two doubles, two homers, three RBI and three runs scored over five games since signing with the Pirates. Things seem to be clicking well for him at the plate right now, and if he can continue to keep up this level of performance, he could be worth looking at in deeper formats going forward.
Yoshi Tsutsugo
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Rangers
