Here's what the Rays expect from 'Yoshi'

ST. PETERSBURG -- The excitement in the faces of Erik Neander and Kevin Cash was evident as the club officially introduced Yoshitomo Tsutsugo at Tropicana Field on Tuesday.

By signing the 28-year-old Tsutsugo to a two-year, $12 million deal, the Rays continue to add to a lineup that finished tied for 15th in runs scored last season. While there is some uncertainty on how Tsutsugo’s power will translate to the Majors, his numbers in Japan were just too impressive for the Rays to ignore.

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In 10 seasons in Japan, Tsutsugo hit 205 homers and had a career .910 OPS. The Rays know that the Japanese slugger will undergo a learning curve, but they are confident that his consistency at the plate will translate to the Majors.

“He’s very accomplished,” Neander said. “The quality of pitching in the [Nippon Professional Baseball] is very strong. I don’t believe the transition between leagues is nearly as great as sometimes it can be assumed. That, in itself, gives us more comfort.”

While adding Tsutsugo gives the Rays lineup more depth, there are also questions about how he fits with the club.

Where does Tsutsugo fit defensively?

The Rays believe that having Tsutsugo on the roster will increase the team’s versatility. The Japanese slugger projects to be better suited as a designated hitter, but Tampa Bay will need him to be functional defensively in order to fully maximize the roster.

Tsutsugo has experience playing the outfield -- especially in left, where he played most of his time with the Yokohama BayStars in Japan. Aside from that, Tsutsugo also has limited appearances at third base. His defense remains a question mark at the hot corner, but if he’s able to show improvement throughout the season, he would give the Rays a left-handed-hitting option at the position to back up Yandy Díaz, who is the projected starter at third.

“We feel like the hands work. We feel like the arm is there to play the left side [of the infield],” Neander said. “You need more reps, I think, than what he’s gotten to really settle him and play at the level that he’s capable of playing. We’ll take a long look at that and see, but we feel good about our internal options there. But you want to know what you have and how the different pieces fit together.”

First base could also be an option for Tsutsugo, but the Rays have Ji-Man Choi and Nathaniel Lowe as two left-handed-hitting players at the position. Díaz also split time at first, which is likely to continue heading into next season.

“Ji-Man at first did a really nice job for us and we’re confident with his abilities there,” Neander said. “[Tsutsugo] can really fit us in a variety of ways and the good part of that is that it does keep some options open for us during the rest of this winter in terms of how we assemble the team, and that has some real appeal to us.”

Where does Tsutsugo fit in the lineup?

Tsutsugo adds power to the Rays lineup, but he also creates a logjam with the roster's other left-handed hitters.

The Rays have Austin Meadows, Brandon Lowe, Kevin Kiermaier and Choi, who will all have prominent roles against right-handed pitching next season. Tsutsugo could play third base against righties, or he can play left field while Hunter Renfroe plays right field or serves as the team’s designated hitter.

There’s also the chance that Tsutsugo gets extended time against left-handed pitching, which would likely mean that he'd spend extended time as the team’s DH with Choi playing first base and Díaz playing third.

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“There is a need to strengthen our lineup against left-handed pitching, but this was a chance for us to acquire, sign and have a player like Yoshi, who’s just a really good offensive performer, period,” Neander said. “The hand in this becomes less relevant. Yoshi stays in against lefties incredibly well. He has a history of doing that in Japan.”

Cash and the Rays have a lot to juggle moving forward, but if Tsutsugo projects to hit the way the Rays hope, he’ll get a chance to get plenty of at-bats next season.

“We know he can hit,” Cash said. “I fully expect him to be a presence somewhere right in the middle of our lineup.”

What’s next?

Adding a right-handed hitter has been a priority for the Rays, and the move to acquire Tsutsugo only increases that need.

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With Avisaíl García, Guillermo Heredia, Matt Duffy and Jesús Aguilar no longer on the roster, the Rays are left with Willy Adames, Mike Zunino, Renfroe and Díaz as the club’s only impact right-handed hitters. Daniel Robertson and Mike Brosseau are solid in-house options, but the Rays will continue to look for right-handed hitting help via trade or free agency.

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“There is a need to strengthen our lineup against left-handed pitching,” Neander said. “It goes without saying that to balance our club in full, adding a right-handed bat in some capacity is not something I dispute and it’s something we need to do in some way or form.”