Orix announced on April 14 that it has notified Keisuke Honda pitcher that it will not be signing him to a player contract for the coming year. The relief right-hander joined Seibu last offseason as an active draft pick. He said, "This is the first time I've moved here, so it's mostly a new experience. I think it was a year of really valuable experience for me," he said.
This season, his 10th as a professional, he failed to make the opening day first team and ERA 6.39 in nine games. After giving up seven runs in the first inning in a game against Softbank Hawks (Mizuho PayPay Dome) on July 26, he was removed from the active roster the following day, July 27, and was unable to be promoted again.
Nevertheless, in the game Rakuten on June 29th (Kyocera Dome Osaka), he pitched 2 1/3 innings without runs a run after starting pitcher Higashi was taken out early after 1 2/3 innings. He also showed his versatility as a firefighter and pitcher for multiple inning, even at Orix.
In 2022, he pitched in a career-high 45 games, recording 4 wins, 2 losses, 20 hold, and an ERA of 1.97, and also participated in the All-Star Game. His career record is 12 wins, 21 losses, 32 hold, and ERA 3.93 in 147 games. Regarding his future plans, he emphasized that "I haven't made any decisions yet, so I can't say anything for sure."
The team also announced on the same day that it had given similar notices to pitcher Kazutomo Iguchi and outfielder Shuhei Fukuda.
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