YOSHI TSUTSUGO NEWS

Not yet in camp Tsutsugo is expected to arrive at spring training sometime this week as travels back from Japan, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Impact Tsutsugo has been back in his home country after agreeing to a one-year, $4 million contract with Pittsburgh in November. He was with the Rays and Dodgers last season before joining the Pirates and finding his stride, as he hit .268/.347/.535 with eight home runs and 25 RBI over 43 games with the Buccos to help earn the new deal.

MARCH 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Yoshi Tsutsugo explains why he re-signed with the Pirates Yoshi Tsutsugo spoke over Zoom on Tuesday morning and explained why he decided to re-sign with the Pirates for 2022.

NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • POST-GAZETTE.COM

First baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo returns for 2022 while Colin Moran DFA'd, Pirates announce Many around baseball expected Monday to be a busy day, with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire at 11:59 on Wednesday night an...

NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • POST-GAZETTE.COM

Re-signs with Pittsburgh Tsutsugo agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Pirates on Wednesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Impact Tsutsugo spent time with the Rays and Dodgers in 2021 before joining the Pirates, and he performed well in Pittsburgh with a .268/.347/.535 slash line, eight homers, 25 RBI and 20 runs in 43 games. The 29-year-old should see plenty of opportunities next season for the Pirates, regardless of whether he plays primarily at first base, third base or in the outfield.

NOVEMBER 25, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ben Cherington 'hopeful' Pirates can bring back Yoshi Tsutsugo Ben Cherington said the Pirates are “hopeful” they’ll be able to bring back Yoshi Tsutsugo, plus notes on the other recent roster adds.

NOVEMBER 20, 2021 • POST-GAZETTE.COM

Collects double Sunday Tsutsugo went 1-for-4 with a double in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Reds.

Impact He hit just .220 (13-for-59) with one homer and 4:18 BB:K since Sept. 16. Tsutsugo, an impending free agent, did belt seven homers in his first 80 plate appearances with Pittsburgh after failed stints for both Tampa Bay and the Dodgers in 2021. Overall, the 29-year-old slashed .268/.347/.535 in 144 plate appearances for the Bucs and could factor into the team's plans, especially if the National League adopts the designated hitter rule in 2022.

OCTOBER 4, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

On bench Tuesday Tsutsugo isn't starting Tuesday's game against the Cubs.

Impact Tsutsugo had started each of the last five games, and he went 4-for-21 with two RBI and six strikeouts across that span. Ben Gamel will shift to right field while Anthony Alford starts in left.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Day off Tuesday Tsutsugo will sit Tuesday against Cincinnati.

Impact Tsutsugo has hit an excellent .306/.394/.682 with eight homers in 31 games since joining the Pirates in mid-August, yet he sits here for the second time in three days. Ben Gamel slides to right field, with Anthony Alford starting in left.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Homers in loss Tsutsugo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs in Monday's loss to the Reds.

Impact The 29-year-old led off the scoring in the game with a solo shot against Vladimir Gutierrez in the top of the first inning. He later drove in Dillon Peters with an RBI single. It was his first homer since Sept. 5 and his eighth of the season. Over the last week, Tsutsugo has batted .375 with four multi-hit games.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Yoshi's big game spoiled in Bucs' opener loss CINCINNATI -- How pleasant of a surprise has Yoshi Tsutsugo been? When the Pirates signed Tsutsugo on Aug. 16, it marked the third club he’d...

SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 • MLB.COM

Serves in pinch-hitting role Tsutsugo went 0-for-1 on Sunday, appearing as a pinch-hitter against the Marlins.

Impact He hasn't hit a home run in his last 49 plate appearances after hitting seven homers in his first 19 games with Pittsburgh. That said, Tsutsugo is still batting .333 since Sept. 6 with three doubles. While the 29-year-old is battling Colin Moran for time at first base and is rotating with Ben Gamel, Anthony Alford and Cole Tucker in the outfield, he's worth streaming consideration, especially with three games in Cincinnati and four in Philadelphia this week.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Sunday Tsutsugo is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.

Impact He sits following a 2-for-4 effort that boosted his average to .343 with three doubles and six RBI in the last 10 games. Cole Tucker is starting in right field and batting sixth Sunday.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Resting Sunday Tsutsugo will sit Sunday against Washington.

Impact Tsutsugo has earned a prominent role in the Pirates' lineup after hitting .279/.375/.721 with seven homers in his first 24 games for his new team. He'll get a rest after starting seven straight games, with Ben Gamel shifting to right field and Anthony Alford starting in left.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Notes: Yoshi's defense; Shelton talks Jeter Yoshi Tsutsugo was waiting for his turn to make a difference in the game. The Pirates knocked on his door with an opportunity after the Los...

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • MLB.COM

Overtakes Alford on depth chart Tsutsugo will start in right field and bat second Wednesday against the Tigers.

Impact After going 1-for-3 with a pair of walks in Tuesday's 3-2 win to bring his OPS up to 1.144 OPS since he joined the Pirates in mid-August, Tsutsugo will stay in the lineup for the fifth straight game. Four of Tsutsugo's starts have come in right field, where he appears to have supplanted the struggling Anthony Alford as the Pirates' preferred option at the position. Alford is on the bench Wednesday for the second game in a row and the third time in four days.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Homer surge continues Tsutsugo homered for the second straight game Sunday, going 1-for-4 with two runs scored in an 11-8 loss to the Cubs.

Impact He has eight homers in 50 plate appearances with Pittsburgh. Tsutsugo credits his power outburst to an opening of his batting stance, allowing him to catch up to high-velocity pitching -- a prior area of weakness. It remains to be seen whether Tsutsugo can parlay his revamped batting stance into long term success, but for now he's on fire.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Goes deep in loss Tsutsugo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Cubs.

Impact The 29-year-old opened the scoring with his solo shot off Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks in the first inning. Tsutsugo is up to six home runs, 19 RBI, 14 runs scored and a .188/.272/.375 slash line in 163 plate appearances this year. He's likely to continue in a versatile role, potentially challenging the struggling Ben Gamel for playing time in the corner outfield spots.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Blasts walkoff homer Tsutsugo went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and an additional RBI in Sunday's win over the Cardinals.

Impact The Japanese slugger was the hero for the Pirates on Sunday, as he launched his fifth homer of the season in the bottom of the ninth off closer Alex Reyes and lifted Pittsburgh to victory. In fact, Tsutsugo was responsible for all the offense the Pirates mustered in this game, as he also plated Ke'Bryan Hayes (hand) home with a sac fly in the fourth. The third baseman is hitting .333 with a 1.424 OPS across 30 plate appearances this month.

AUGUST 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Tsutsugo hits game-ending homer, Pirates beat Cardinals 4-3

Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a three-run homer off Alex Reyes in the ninth inning, sending the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals

AUGUST 29, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yoshi Tsutsugo lifts Pirates to win with three-run, walkoff homer Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a three-run, walkoff home run to help the Pirates defeat the Cardinals, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.

AUGUST 29, 2021 • POST-GAZETTE.COM

Collects home run Tsutsugo went 1-for-1 with a home run in an 11-7 win over St. Louis on Thursday.

Impact Tsutsugo added a pinch-hit two-run home run Thursday with a seventh inning blast off Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera. Since being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline, Tsutsugo has collected at-least one hit in six of 10 contests, which includes four home runs.

AUGUST 27, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Goes deep again Tsutsugo delivered a pinch-hit solo homer in Monday's 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Impact After going homerless in stints with Tampa Bay and Los Angeles this season, Tsutsugo has hit three homers in 18 plate appearances for Pittsburgh. His poor outfield defense may limit his opportunities in the long run, especially considering Colin Moran is the starter at first base (Tsutsugo's natural position), but he could enter the mix as a potential designated hitter in 2022, depending on the labor agreement outcome. In the meantime, he's 6-for-18 with two doubles and three home runs since joining the Bucs on Aug. 16.

AUGUST 24, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Clubs homer in victory Tsutsugo went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.

Impact Since signing with the Pirates earlier in the week, Tsutsugo has quickly made a case for joining the lineup on a regular basis. He's started in three of his five games with Pittsburgh, going 5-for-13 with two home runs, two doubles and three RBI. The Pirates will give Tsutsugo a look in the table-setting role in Sunday's series finale.

AUGUST 22, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Yoshi Tsutsugo's extra-base hits lift Pirates to win over Cardinals All Yoshi Tsutsugo does is get extra base hits. The Japanese slugger homered for the second consecutive game and drove in the game-winning r...

AUGUST 22, 2021 • TRIBLIVE.COM

Slugs first homer of campaign Tsutsugo hit a solo home run in his only at-bat in Friday's win over the Cardinals.

Impact Tsutsugo pinch hit with two outs in the top of the ninth inning and provided some extra breathing room with a solo shot to right field. The long ball was his first of the campaign, though he has gone deep 10 times in 148 at-bats in the minors. Tsutsugo has done well since joining the Pirates on Aug. 16, going 3-for-9 and slugging two doubles in addition to Friday's homer.

AUGUST 21, 2021 • ROTOWIRE