Mastaka Yoshida is making his major league debut just in time to be part of what MLB, Topps and Fanatics hope is an initiative that will completely revolutionize the baseball card industry.
Yoshida is expected to be in the Opening Day lineup Thursday for the Red Sox as they take on the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. The Japanese outfielder technically is a rookie, and when he slips on that Boston jersey for the first time, he'll have a special patch commemorating his debut.
That patch will then make its way to a 1-of-1 baseball card that will be the holy grail for collectors of the outfielder. MLB made the announcement Thursday morning, revealing all debuting players will wear the patch on their jerseys moving forward.
Topps also released a video promoting the efforts, including MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA union head Tony Clark.
This is probably the biggest innovation or development since Fanatics acquired Topps for roughly $500 million in January of 2022. Fanatics clearly is making a push to make itself an even bigger part of the professional sports world.
Michael Rubin's company has extended far beyond just producing sports team gear and memorabilia. In addition to the Topps deal, Fanatics has dipped its toe into the sports betting world and just recently struck a deal with the NHL to become the official on-ice jersey of the league.
