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.

8 HOURS AGO • 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.

3 DAYS AGO • 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 7 • 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 • 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 • 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 30 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 16, 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

More leadoff work on tap Tsutsugo, who went 2-for-5 with a triple and a run while hitting out of the leadoff spot in Friday's win over the Orioles, is due for more work out of the top of the order in the w...

Impact The Japanese slugger has struggled to a .200 average and .314 on-base percentage this season, but perhaps a switch to the top of the order will help garner some momentum for him in the last few games of the season. Tsutsugo solid effort Friday marked his first multi-hit outing since last Friday against the Red Sox and brought his average back to the Mendoza Line for the first time since that contest as well.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Rays report: New look to lineup with Yoshi Tsutsugo at top Rays face Orioles twice today, hoping to get offense going and with a chance to clinch a playoff spot.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 • TAMPABAY.COM

Out of Wednesday's lineup Tsutsugo is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Nationals.

Impact He has started six of the last 10 games and will head to the bench even with righty Austin Voth on the hill for Washington. Tsutsugo is one of a handful of Rays hitters who seemingly play 50 to 75 percent of the time. Austin Meadows will start at designated hitter while Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier and Manuel Margot start in the outfield from left to right.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Saturday Tsutsugo will be on the bench Saturday against Boston, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact The majority of Tsutsugo's off days this season have come against lefties, but he'll sit against right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in this one. Joey Wendle will start at third base, Tsutsugo's most common recent position.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Out against lefty Tsutsugo is not in Thursday's lineup against the Red Sox.

Impact He is hitting .231/.412/.538 with two home runs and more walks (eight) than strikeouts (six) over his last 10 games. Randy Arozarena will get the start at designated hitter while hitting second with lefty Mike Kickham on the mound for Boston.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Cracks sixth homer Tsutsugo went 2-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's win over the Marlins.

Impact Tsutsugo got off to a slow start to begin his big-league career, but he has come on strong over the past couple weeks. In fact, he has an OPS north of 1.000 over his last 15 games, collecting two doubles, four homers and more walks (11) than strikeouts (10) in that span. Overall, Tsutsugo is slashing .209/.342/.440 as the Rays' primary DH against right-handed pitching.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

On bench Wednesday Tsutsugo isn't starting Wednesday against the Yankees.

Impact Tsutsugo went 0-for-3 with one strikeout Tuesday, and he'll take a seat for the third time in the past five games. Austin Meadows will rest his legs as the designated hitter with Randy Arozarena starting in left field.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting Monday Tsutsugo is not in the lineup Monday against the Yankees, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Tsutsugo hits the bench for the second time in the last three games. He's hitting just .188 through his first 28 major-league games, though his overall .188/.320/.400 slash line is good for a respectable 101 wRC+. Randy Arozarena will be the designated hitter in his absence.

AUGUST 31, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Belts fifth homer Tsutsugo went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in a win over the Marlins on Sunday.

Impact The Japanese slugger gave the prolific Rays offense an early jolt with a 407-foot shot to right in the first inning with Yandy Diaz aboard to extend the Rays' lead to 3-0 at the time. The successful day at the plate was a particularly welcome sight for Tsutsugo's fantasy managers, who've seen him mostly scuffle in his first season of exposure to MLB arms. Tsutsugo's average has only been at or above the Mendoza Line a total of two days in August entering the last game of the month Monday, with his five homers and 17 RBI on the season about the only redeeming fantasy qualities he's been able to offer.

AUGUST 31, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Retreats to bench Tsutsugo is not in the starting lineup against the Marlins on Saturday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Tsutsugo will be sitting for the second time in three games as Austin Meadows will start Saturday's game as the designated hitter and Brandon Lowe will shift over to left field.

AUGUST 29, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting against southpaw Tsutsugo isn't starting Thursday against the Orioles.

Impact Tsutsugo will take a breather Thursday as left-hander John Means starts for Baltimore. Jose Martinez will start as the designated hitter in his place.

AUGUST 27, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

YOSHI TSUTSUGO

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