On the 16th, Rakuten announced that Yoshiaki Watanabe (28) underwent a right elbow joint cleaning procedure at a hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is expected that it will take three to four months for him to return to playing.

Watanabe graduated from Yokohama High School and Meiji University before joining Rakuten as the sixth pick in the 2018 draft. In his seventh season with the team, he played in 75 games, posting a batting average of .279, Home Run, and 19 RBI.