Yuki Matsui Stats
- Height / Weight
- 5' 8" / 165 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 10/30/1995 (28)
- Experience
- 0
- College
- None
Yuki Matsui Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Yuki Matsui News
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said Tuesday that relief pitcher Yuki Matsui (back) is slated to return to game action on Wednesday in the team's Cactus League finale against the Athletics. Matsui, who was signed this off-season, has missed the last three weeks with back tightness. However, the left-hander pitched in an intrasquad game on Sunday, facing five hitters and retiring four of them. The 28-year-old figures to start the season in a high-leverage role for the Padres and could eventually see save opportunities given his track record in Japan and the five-year, $28 million deal he signed.
San Diego Padres left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui (back), who dealt with early spring back spasms, is throwing a bullpen session in camp on Tuesday. Manager Mike Shildt said that if all goes well with the bullpen, there should be plenty of time to get Matsui built up for the start of the 2024 regular season. The 28-year-old southpaw struck out the side in his Cactus League debut in the team's first spring game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he developed back spasms shortly after that outing and has been shut down since. The Japanese reliever should have a prominent high-leverage role in San Diego's bullpen in 2024 after signing a five-year, $28 million deal over the winter, and he could even take over closing duties in the ninth inning if Robert Suarez falters at all.
San Diego Padres left-hander Yuki Matsui (back) has resumed playing catch in camp on Friday. The 28-year-old reliever was shut down from throwing last weekend due to inflammation in his back, but it wasn't a serious concern and he's already back to throwing. It remains unclear when he'll be able to get into another Cactus League game after striking out the side in his impressive debut last Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Barring another setback, though, Matsui will have time to get up to speed for the two-game opening series against the Dodgers in Korea on March 20-21. After signing a five-year, $28 million deal with the Friars in December, Matsui should have a significant late-inning role in SD in his rookie season, perhaps even taking over closing duties if Robert Suarez struggles in the ninth-inning role.
Batting Order
1 | Jurickson Profar |
2 | Fernando Tatis Jr. |
3 | Jake Cronenworth |
4 | Manny Machado |
5 | Xander Bogaerts |
6 | Jackson Merrill |
7 | Ha-Seong Kim |
8 | Graham Pauley |
9 | Kyle Higashioka |
Yuki Matsui Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | Jurickson Profar |
2 | Fernando Tatis Jr. |
3 | Jake Cronenworth |
4 | Manny Machado |
5 | Xander Bogaerts |
6 | Jackson Merrill |
7 | Ha-Seong Kim |
8 | Graham Pauley |
9 | Kyle Higashioka |
San Diego Padres reliever Yuki Matsui is a 28-year-old relief pitcher signed from Rakuten in the Japan Central League. The lefty has 236 career saves in the JPPL and is now in the rebuilt San Diego bullpen. Last season, Matsui had a career-high 39 saves with a tidy 1.57 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 72 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. Matsui features a good fastball, but his best pitch is a wicked splitter that generated a 56% whiff rate last year for Rakuten. The splitter is used mainly against right-handed hitters. He throws a slider to left-handed hitters that gets good results down and away. Manager Mike Shildt might use veteran Robert Suarez to start the season as the closer but do not be surprised if Matsui wrestles the job from him at some point. With an NFBC ADP of 313, Matsui is a good place to speculate on saves. The ATC projections give him 12 saves and a helpful 3.54 ERA. This is a good value late in drafts.