Boston Red Sox' Masataka Yoshida Wins American League Award

Masataka Yoshida of the Boston Red Sox was named the American League Player of the Week after helping the Red Sox to a 6-1 week that included a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays. He hit .480 during the week.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida was named the American League Player of the Week after helping the Red Sox go 6-1 over the last seven days.

The Red Sox swept the Toronto Blue Jays for four games and then took two of three from the Philadelphia Phillies and Yoshida was a main reason why.

Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic Tweeted on Monday:

Masataka Yoshida was named AL Player of the week. He hit .480 (12-for-25) with two doubles, two homers, eight RBI, a walk, seven runs scored, an .800 slugging percentage and a .519 on-base percentage.

Masataka Yoshida was named AL Player of the week. He hit .480 (12-for-25) with two doubles, two homers, eight RBI, a walk, seven runs scored, an .800 slugging percentage and a .519 on-base percentage.

— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) May 8, 2023

Those are obviously elite numbers and they come at a time when the Red Sox really need his production. The team is playing without Trevor Story and Adam Duvall, so Yoshida picking up the offensive slack is necessary.

After a rough first three weeks in the majors, the 29-year-old rookie has acclimated well. He hits for power, hits to all fields and rarely swings and misses. He has only struck out 11 times in 112 official at-bats.

He was signed to a five-year, $90 million deal this offseason after an accomplished career in Japan. He is a lifetime .327 hitter in Japan and hit 133 career homers with 421 RBI. He also helped Team Japan win the World Baseball Classic this spring.

Yoshida is now favored to win the American League Rookie of the Year award and his hitting .321 with six home runs overall.

The Red Sox are a surprising 21-15 and will open up a two-game series with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.

First pitch is 7:20 p.m. ET.

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