Mike Ford, on the other hand, has become a free agent after struggling to establish himself in his first year in Japan. Austin, who came up with the Yankees in 2016, is well established as one of Japan’s best hitters after five seasons with Yokohama. In 2024, he led the Central League in average, just edging out Domingo Santana, and OPS, coming in at .316/.382/.601 in 445 plate appearances.

Austin's two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning capped off a five-run frame for Team USA, which will now advance to a gold medal matchup against an undefeated Japan squad on Saturday at 6 a.m. ET. At the very least, the Americans will come home with a silver. All events from the Tokyo Olympics can be streamed LIVE on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports App.

Austin split time with Minnesota, Milwaukee and San Francisco during the 2019 campaign, struggling to a .188 average with nine homers and 24 RBI over 89 games. He'll take his talents overseas for at least the next year, though a return to the MLB certainly can't be ruled out at this point.

Austin spent time with the Twins, Giants and Brewers last season without much success, hitting .188/.296/.409 in 179 plate appearances. With a career .219/.292/.451 slash line, he's good enough to have a shot to earn a roster spot somewhere this offseason but shouldn't be considered a lock to do so.