After being designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A Round Rock Express, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo is likely to return to Japan.
“Tsutsugo struggled in the minors in hopes of a promotion to the major leagues, but in 51 games, he batted just .244 with six home runs, 33 RBIs and an OPS of .812,” according to the online edition of Japanese media outlet Friday.
Tsutsugo, who had a reputation as one 메이저사이트 of the most dominant sluggers in Japanese professional baseball, made his big league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020, but batted just .182 with 18 homers, 75 RBIs and 65 runs scored in 182 career games (557-for-110). Despite the pain of being released, he hasn’t lost hope of making it to the major leagues.
The outlet weighed in on Tsutsugo’s chances of returning to Japan after receiving his fourth release notice.
“In fact, several clubs have been investigating the possibility of Tsutsugo’s return to Japan,” the outlet reported, “as he has excelled in Japan and would be a great addition to the box office as a star player.”
“For a team in need of left-handed bat reinforcements, Tsutsugo is a very attractive player,” he said, adding, “Former club Yokohama will also make a move to sign him. Yomiuri has also consistently shown interest in Tsutsugo.”
“With both Yokohama and Yomiuri showing interest, the better-financed Yomiuri will have the upper hand in the race for the player,” the outlet concluded.