Red Sox finally give a Masataka Yoshida update and it’s shockingly good

The Boston Red Sox have been without designated hitter Masataka Yoshida for quite some time. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 1 with a left thumb strain.

The slugger was hitting .275 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and a .736 OPS at the time of his injury.

However, the Red Sox provided a little bit of good news on their injured slugger on Wednesday. According to manager Alex Cora, Yoshida will begin swinging a bat in a few days.

"He was examined by the hand doctor. Now it's a matter of trying to see if there's a guard or something that can help him," Cora said. "And he should start swinging in the upcoming days.

Red Sox get a positive update on Masataka Yoshida

Obviously, it's been a while since the Red Sox had Yoshida in their lineup, and they're certainly missing his presence. He was off to a good start before landing on the injured list.

But this is an encouraging update for the Red Sox. Having Yoshida back in the lineup soon should give them a boost offensively, and his progress should be encouraging for a team that needs a presence in its lineup. Boston is 13th in the Major Leagues in runs scored with 244.

The Red Sox will need him back sooner rather than later. They recently just lost Tyler O'Neill, who went on the injured list with right knee inflammation. Triston Casas is also on the injured list with a left rib strain.

Yoshida is in the second year of a five-year, $90 million contract with the Red Sox. Last season, the Sox slugger hit .289 with 15 home runs and 72 RBI, appearing in 140 games. He has only appeared in 24 games this season.

The Red Sox have performed slightly above their expectations this year. They own a record of 28-28 and sit in third place in the AL East. They sit 9.5 games back of the first place New York Yankees but are only 2.5 games back of the third and final American League Wild Card spot.

Boston's young stars have helped them remain in the mix for a postseason spot, and the eventual return of Yoshida should give them a bit of a boost on the offensive side as they try to stay afloat in the playoff race.

Based on Cora's comments, the next steps appear to be finding a guard for Yoshida so he can swing the bat without any major issues.