The Toronto Blue Jays have signed a baseball player.

His name: Yoshi Tsutsugo.
His story? He was DFA&#8217;d by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 3rd.
Now, it sounds like the 30-year-old is coming to the Jays organization.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Sounds like <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> are close to signing Yoshi Tsutsugo to a minor league deal, per some comments John Schneider made in his pre-game availability when asked about the potential signing
&mdash; Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaitlyncmcgrath/status/1559272044277256194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tsutsugo, who is primarily a 1B, got his pro start over in Japan where he was an absolute slugger f/om the left side of the plate. Over his 10 years in the NPB, he slashed .285/.382/.528 with a .910 OPS.
He came over to North America in the Rays organization in 2020, before splitting time in 2021 between them, the LA Dodgers and Pirates. His success, however, came down the stretch last year with the Pirates.
In 43 games across 144 plate appearances, he slashed .268/.347/.535 with a .883 OPS and eight homers, but his numbers have absolutely plummeted this season.
It&#8217;s hard to tell what there is here, but at the very least, the Jays appear to be picking up some organizational depth. It&#8217;s hard to imagine a spot for him on the big club with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. taking the lion&#8217;s share of games at 1B with Cavan Biggio sliding in here or there to let Vladdy DH or get a night off.
And on the note of the DH, it&#8217;s hard to imagine Tsutsugo getting any reps there, either given the rotation of Alejandro Kirk, Vladdy, and George Springer.
If Tsutsugo impresses in Buffalo, then the Jays might just have to find a way to get him some PA&#8217;s in the bigs given that he&#8217;s a power lefty.
<hr />
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at<a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"> @zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
<hr />
<h1 style="text-align: center"><a href="https://join.pointsbet.ca/april-launch-generic/?utm_source=Unbounce_Nation_Network_Display&amp;utm_medium=Generic_First_Bet&amp;utm_campaign=Free_Bet_25_Bet_Insurance_560&amp;utm_term=Unbounce&amp;utm_content=Nation_Network_Display&amp;promo=NHLGNFBPND" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">POINTSBET IS LIVE IN ONTARIO</a></h1>
<a href="https://join.pointsbet.ca/april-launch-generic/?utm_source=Unbounce_Nation_Network_Display&amp;utm_medium=Generic_First_Bet&amp;utm_campaign=Free_Bet_25_Bet_Insurance_560&amp;utm_term=Unbounce&amp;utm_content=Nation_Network_Display&amp;promo=NHLGNFBPND"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-54851 size-large" src="https://bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/04/PointsBet-Ontario-1024x576.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/04/PointsBet-Ontario-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/04/PointsBet-Ontario-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/04/PointsBet-Ontario-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/04/PointsBet-Ontario-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/04/PointsBet-Ontario.jpeg 1921w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>PointsBet is live in Ontario. <a href="https://join.pointsbet.ca/april-launch-generic/?utm_source=Unbounce_Nation_Network_Display&amp;utm_medium=Generic_First_Bet&amp;utm_campaign=Free_Bet_25_Bet_Insurance_560&amp;utm_term=Unbounce&amp;utm_content=Nation_Network_Display&amp;promo=NHLGNFBPND" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Get started here</a>.

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed a baseball player.



His name: Yoshi Tsutsugo.

His story? He was DFA'd by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 3rd.

Now, it sounds like the 30-year-old is coming to the Jays organization.

https://twitter.com/kaitlyncmcgrath/status/1559272044277256194

Tsutsugo, who is primarily a 1B, got his pro start over in Japan where he was an absolute slugger f/om the left side of the plate. Over his 10 years in the NPB, he slashed .285/.382/.528 with a .910 OPS.

He came over to North America in the Rays organization in 2020, before splitting time in 2021 between them, the LA Dodgers and Pirates. His success, however, came down the stretch last year with the Pirates.

In 43 games across 144 plate appearances, he slashed .268/.347/.535 with a .883 OPS and eight homers, but his numbers have absolutely plummeted this season.

It's hard to tell what there is here, but at the very least, the Jays appear to be picking up some organizational depth. It's hard to imagine a spot for him on the big club with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. taking the lion's share of games at 1B with Cavan Biggio sliding in here or there to let Vladdy DH or get a night off.

And on the note of the DH, it's hard to imagine Tsutsugo getting any reps there, either given the rotation of Alejandro Kirk, Vladdy, and George Springer.

If Tsutsugo impresses in Buffalo, then the Jays might just have to find a way to get him some PA's in the bigs given that he's a power lefty.

<hr />Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at<a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"> @zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.<hr />
<h1 style="text-align: center"><a href="https://join.pointsbet.ca/april-launch-generic/?utm_source=Unbounce_Nation_Network_Display&amp;utm_medium=Generic_First_Bet&amp;utm_campaign=Free_Bet_25_Bet_Insurance_560&amp;utm_term=Unbounce&amp;utm_content=Nation_Network_Display&amp;promo=NHLGNFBPND" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">POINTSBET IS LIVE IN ONTARIO</a></h1><a href="https://join.pointsbet.ca/april-launch-generic/?utm_source=Unbounce_Nation_Network_Display&amp;utm_medium=Generic_First_Bet&amp;utm_campaign=Free_Bet_25_Bet_Insurance_560&amp;utm_term=Unbounce&amp;utm_content=Nation_Network_Display&amp;promo=NHLGNFBPND"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-54851 size-large" src="https://bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/04/PointsBet-Ontario-1024x576.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" /></a>PointsBet is live in Ontario. <a href="https://join.pointsbet.ca/april-launch-generic/?utm_source=Unbounce_Nation_Network_Display&amp;utm_medium=Generic_First_Bet&amp;utm_campaign=Free_Bet_25_Bet_Insurance_560&amp;utm_term=Unbounce&amp;utm_content=Nation_Network_Display&amp;promo=NHLGNFBPND" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Get started here</a>.

Report: Toronto Blue Jays sign Yoshi Tsutsugo to minor league deal

Recent articles from Zach Laing

Breaking News