YOSHI TSUTSUGO NEWS

Hitless in return to action Tsutsugo, who spent Thursday on the COVID-19 injured list, went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in a loss to the Astros on Friday.

Impact The Japanese slugger produced another frustrating stat line in his return from the brief sabbatical. Tsutsugo is now slashing .175/.246/.222 through 70 plate appearances and currently sports a 31.4 percent strikeout rate that's outpacing 2020's 27.0 percent figure.

MAY 1, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Back from COVID IL Tsutsugo (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact The 29-year-old landed on the shelf Thursday while experiencing side effects due to the vaccine, but he'll only end up missing one game. Tsutsugo had a rough first month of the season with a .183/.246/.233 slash line and 21 strikeouts in 66 plate appearances, and he's seen limited playing time of late, though he's batting eighth as the designated hitter Friday.

APRIL 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Heads to COVID-19 IL The Rays will place Tsutsugo on the COVID-19 injured list Thursday after he experienced side effects from a vaccine shot earlier this week, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times repor...

Impact Tsutsugo isn't expected to require more than a day or two off before he's feeling back to normal, so he should rejoin the roster at some point during the Rays' weekend series with the Astros. The 29-year-old opened the season as a strong-side platoon player for the Rays, but he seems to have fallen out of favor after posting a .479 OPS through 66 plate appearances. He's been on the bench for eight of the Rays' last 13 games.

APRIL 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Playing time trending down Tsutsugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Though the lefty-hitting Tsutsugo will be sitting out against a southpaw (Hyun-Jin Ryu), his opportunities to make regular starts against right-handed pitching could also be trending down. He's been included in the lineup only three times in the last 10 games, with the Rays' lefty-heavy schedule and the recent return of Kevin Kiermaier from the injured list having cost Tsutsugo at-bats. Manager Kevin Cash may prefer to have all four of his top outfielders -- Kiermaier, Austin Meadows, Randy Arozarena and Manuel Margot -- play regularly, with the odd man out likely starting over Tsutsugo at designated hitter in most games.

APRIL 25, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

On bench against left-hander Tsutsugo isn't starting Saturday's game against the Blue Jays.

Impact Tsutsugo will be out of the lineup for a second consecutive game with another southpaw (Robbie Ray) on the mound for Toronto. Randy Arozarena will serve as the designated hitter while Brett Phillips starts in right field Saturday.

APRIL 24, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting versus southpaw Tsutsugo is not in the lineup Friday against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Tsutsugo will head back to the bench Friday after starting the past two games and going 2-for-9 with one walk, three RBI and one run. Austin Meadows will serve as the designated hitter while Manuel Margot takes his spot in the outfield versus Toronto lefty Steven Matz.

APRIL 23, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Monday Tsutsugo isn't starting Monday's game against the Royals, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Tsutsugo will take a seat for the third time in the last four games after hitting .163 with two doubles and two RBI to begin the year. Yandy Diaz will serve as the designated hitter while Mike Brosseau starts at first base Monday.

APRIL 19, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Tsutsugo’s big hit off Cole gives Rays 3-game sweep of Yanks The last-place New York Yankees lost their fifth straight game as Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a tiebreaking double off Gerrit Cole in the seventh inn...

APRIL 18, 2021 • CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM

Takes seat once again Tsutsugo isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Tsutsugo will be out of the lineup for a third straight game after he hit .154 with one RBI and 17 strikeouts in his first 39 at-bats this year. Austin Meadows will serve as the designated hitter Saturday while Brett Phillips enters the lineup in center field.

APRIL 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting again Friday Tsutsugo is out of the lineup Friday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Tsutsugo is 6-for-39 with 17 strikeouts through 12 games this season and finds himself on the bench for the second straight contest Friday. Brandon Lowe is batting third as the designated hitter while Mike Brosseau starts at second base for Tampa Bay.

APRIL 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Thursday Tsutsugo isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Tsutsugo has gone just 1-for-12 with six strikeouts in the last four games. Austin Meadows will serve as the designated hitter Thursday with Manuel Margot starting in left field.

APRIL 15, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Removed from leadoff gig Tsutsugo will serve as the Rays' designated hitter and bat seventh Wednesday against the Rangers.

Impact Tsutsugo had been the Rays' primary leadoff option against right-handed pitching to begin the season, but he appears to have lost hold of that role after providing a .147/.216/.176 slash line through his first 38 plate appearances. For the second straight day, Tsutsugo will hit in the bottom half of the lineup, while Austin Meadows handles leadoff duties.

APRIL 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting against lefty Tsutsugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact With a southpaw (Jordan Montgomery) on the mound for the opposition, the lefty-hitting Tsutsugo will take a seat after three consecutive starts. Yandy Diaz replaces Tsutsugo in the series finale as the Rays' leadoff man.

APRIL 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Plates run against Boston Tsutsugo went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Wednesday's loss against the Red Sox.

Impact Tsutsugo has endured a rough start to the season, and while he has recorded hits in back-to-back games, he has gone just 2-for-17 to begin his big-league career. He hit .318 (7-for-22) with two extra-base hits during spring training, but he hasn't been able to replicate those numbers during the first week of the regular season. It's still early, but he needs to bounce back quickly if he doesn't want to start losing playing time.

APRIL 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Out against southpaw Tsutsugo is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Red Sox, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact It's only been four games, but Tsutsugo is 1-for-13 with zero extra-base hits so far this season on the heels of a disappointing first year with Tampa Bay. Francisco Mejia will start at designated hitter and bat seventh with lefty Martin Perez on the hill for Boston.

APRIL 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Day off Saturday Tsutsugo will sit Saturday against Miami.

Impact Tsutsugo started the first two games of the season at first base, going 0-for-6 with two walks and two strikeouts. Yandy Diaz shifts to first base Saturday, with Joey Wendle starting at third.

APRIL 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Finishing spring on solid note Tsutsugo hit .318 (7-for-22) with a double, a solo home run, two walks and four runs over his nine Grapefruit League games, and he'll be counted on to fill in frequently at first b...

Impact Choi is slated for arthroscopic knee surgery Wednesday and will be out multiple weeks, so Tsutsugo -- who's already seen a sizeable share of reps at first base this spring -- is likely to be the primary option there against right-handed pitching. The Rays have been pleased with Tsutsugo's development defensively, and manager Kevin Cash noted that the Japanese slugger has been timing up high-velocity fastballs better than last season. "You try not to get too consumed with spring training results, but there are some guys that you do want to see the intent to be there, to work on some of whatever feedback or corrections that they are trying to accomplish from last year to this year," Cash said. "And it looks like Yoshi has done that. He seems very comfortable."

MARCH 31, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Impressing defensively at first Tsutsugo is hitting just .063 (1-for-16) across nine Grapefruit League games, but he's received praise from manager Kevin Cash for his ability to adapt to playing first base, Marc...

Impact The Japanese slugger's defensive versatility is especially relevant in light of the fact he's contributing next to nothing at the plate thus far after a difficult first season stateside in 2020, and due to the fact Ji-Man Choi is currently sidelined with knee inflammation. Choi's uncertain status for Opening Day figures to help keep Tsutsugo's playing time secure for the time being, irrespective of the ongoing struggles at the plate.

MARCH 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Seeing time at first base Tsutsugo is slated to see some time at first base this coming season in addition to third base, left field and designated hitter, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Impact Tsutsugo played first in the early days of his professional career in Japan, but he focused on the hot corner, left field and DH during his first season stateside in 2020. The 29-year-old stood out with a diving stop at first during Wednesday's game against the Twins, and the defensive versatility is about the only thing he has going for him thus far in spring training -- through six Grapefruit League games, Tsutsugo is hitting .091 (1-for-11) with an RBI, three walks and five strikeouts after slashing just .197/.314/.395 in 51 games last season.

MARCH 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Still looking for first hit Tsutsugo is 0-for-7 with two walks and an RBI across his first four Grapefruit League games.

Impact The second-year Japanese import has played left field, designated hitter, first base and third base, as the Rays are making good on their stated intentions of testing the limits of Tsutsugo's defensive versatility. While his ability to slot into different spots on the field will certainly be a plus, Tsutsugo's meal ticket is ultimately his bat, which has yet to prove capable of consistently solving big-league arms.

MARCH 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Pivotal season on tap Tsutsugo, who struggled during his first season stateside in 2020 after a successful career in Japan, is a player who's likely to be scrutinized heavily in spring training, Marc To...

Impact After inking a two-year, $12 million contract that also set back the Rays an additional $2.4 million in the form of a posting fee, the Japanese import limped to a .197/.314/.395 line across 184 plate appearances (51 games) during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. Tsutsugo particularly struggled with adjusting to the velocity of MLB arms, seeing his strikeout rate bump up to 27.0 percent after he'd checked in with sub-20.0 percent figures in two of his last three seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball overseas. Tsutsugo did generate an impressive 14.1 percent walk rate and nearly half (14) of his 31 hits went for extra bases, so it wasn't necessarily a year altogether devoid of positives. Nevertheless, Tsutsugo now finds himself entering a contract year, and if he isn't able to muster appreciably better results over the course of what is expected to be a full 162-game season, it appears likely his time with the Rays will conclude after the coming campaign.

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Springer, Valdéz help Astros top Rays 7-4, force ALCS Game 7

George Springer and José Altuve delivered big hits, Framber Valdéz pitched six brilliant innings and the Houston Astros beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the third straight day, 7-4,  to...

OCTOBER 17, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Out against righty Tsutsugo is out of the lineup Monday for Game 1 of the Rays' American League Divisional Series with the Yankees, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Impact Even with a right-hander (Gerrit Cole) on the bump for the Yankees, the lefty-swinging Tsutsugo will be relegated to a bench role while Yandy Diaz assumes designated hitter duties. Diaz could end up seeing the majority of his starts at first base or third base during the series, but Tsutsugo may no longer find himself in the large side of a platoon at DH if Austin Meadows (oblique) is deemed ready to rejoin the lineup at any point.

OCTOBER 5, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Benched in Game 2 Tsutsugo is out of the lineup Wednesday for Game 2 of the Rays' wild-card series with the Blue Jays, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Impact Tsutsugo served as the Rays' designated hitter and leadoff man in the team's 3-1 win in Game 1, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout. With a southpaw (Hyun-Jin Ryu) on the mound for Toronto, the lefty-swinging Tsutsugo will cede DH duties to Randy Arozarena in Game 2, while Mike Brosseau checks in as Tampa Bay's table setter.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Drills eighth homer Tsutsugo went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run in a 3-1 win over the Orioles on Saturday.

Impact Tsutsugo got the Rays on the board in the third inning, launching a solo homer to right field. The long ball was his eighth of the season -- tied for second-most on the team. The 28-year-old has been mostly as advertised in his first major-league season, providing a fair amount of power but hitting only .203.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2020 • ROTOWIRE