Masataka Yoshida named AL Player of the Week

BOSTON -- Just a month into his major league career, Masatka Yoshida has earned some league-wide recognition.

Yoshida was named the American League Player of the Week on Monday, after he got off to a scorching start to the month of May. In six games last week, Yoshida went 12-for-25 (.480) at the plate, belting two homers and a pair of doubles with one walk for a 1.319 OPS.

The Red Sox went 5-1 in those six games, with Yoshida recording multiple hits in five of his six games.

It's just been the latest in a remarkable early turnaround for Yoshida, who was hitting .167 with a .560 OPS through his first 13 games. In the 16 games since then, he's hit .438 with a 1.229 OPS. That's all been part of what is now a 16-game hitting streak.

For the season, Yoshida is now hitting .321 with a .939 OPS, with six doubles, and six home runs. He also has more walks (13) than strikeouts (11).