◆ Mr. Chikaoki Ikeda is looking forward to seeing what kind of color he will give to the team.

Nishikawa Haruki and Toshiki Abe, who were both released from the team, will be returning to their former teams.

Nishikawa played for Rakuten Eagles for two years from 2022 and for Yakult from 2024. This season, he appeared in 49 games but struggled with a batting average of .174, and was released at the end of the season. He will return to Nippon-Ham for the first time in five years since 2021. Abe was traded to Rakuten Eagles in 2022. He appeared in 78 games in his first and second years, but this season he played in 43 games, batting .219 with Home Run and 8 RBI. This will be his first return to Chunichi in four years.

On the 8th, Fuji TV ONE's "Professional baseball News 2025" commentator Chikaoki Ikeda expressed his expectations for Nishikawa, saying, "He will end up with Nippon-Ham, so I hope he will move from a leading role to a supporting role from behind. I am looking forward to seeing how his experience will be put to good use. His batting, of course, but his defense and base running will be very important parts." Another commentator, Yosuke Hiraishi, speculated, "It's rare for someone to return to the team where he started his professional baseball career. He has had a lot of experiences with Rakuten Eagles and Yakult and has had some disappointments over the past few years. However, I feel there is some great significance in Manager Shinjo acquiring Nishikawa."

Hiraishi also praised Abe, saying, "I'm happy to see you back. You're a really nice guy, and although you haven't had much playing time in the first team this year, watching you work hard makes you want to root for you." Ikeda encouraged him, saying, "You've had experience pitcher in Pacific League, and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of color you can bring to the team when you return to Central League. I hope you'll use this year's disappointment to your advantage."

☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE "Professional baseball News 2025"