Lotte announced on the 25th that Rikuto Yokoyama pitcher will be the new player chairman. Until this season, Shogo Nakamura infielder had served as president.

The 24-year-old right-hander, who will wear the number "15" from next season, said, "To be honest, I never thought that the day would come when I would be able to be the player president. I am very happy to be entrusted with this task. As the player president, I will be in a position like a representative of the The Marines players, so I want to be a person who can act and speak in a way that is not ashamed of it. However, there are still many immature areas in the current situation, so I hope that with the advice and support of Mr. Shogo Nakamura, who has worked hard as the player president, and various seniors, we can create a better environment and make the team a good team. As an individual, my number has changed anew, and it will be a new season as I will be appointed as the player president, so I hope I can play an active role in leading the team. I will do my best."

In his sixth season since joining the team in 2019 as the fourth overall pick in the draft from Senshu Matsudo High School, he appeared in a career-high 50 games this season, recording 2 wins, 4 losses, 12 ERA 2.08. At a press conference after signing a contract extension on November 27th, where his annual salary increased by 20 million yen to an estimated 58 million yen, he said, "I want to win a title, so I'm going to aim for the saves title. I've set a goal of 30 or more saves, and if I can get into a position to aim for the title, that would be great."