[Orix] Yuki Udagawa, who will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, talks about his feelings: "I want to improve my level and play baseball for a long time"

Sports Hochi

2025.3.7(金) 05:00

On the 6th, at the team’s facility in Maishima, Osaka, Yuki Udagawa pitcher Yuki Ueda (26), who has announced that he will soon undergo ligament reconstruction surgery (commonly known as Orix John surgery) on his right elbow, spoke about how he came to his decision and his thoughts on making a comeback.

Last year, he struggled with poor condition of his right shoulder and right elbow, pitching in just 13 games, the fewest since he established himself in the first team in 2012. In September, he was diagnosed with a "muscle injury to the superficial flexor digitorum of his right elbow."

Even so, he said, "My elbow condition has gradually improved since the offseason, and the hospital told me I can throw now, so I decided to start throwing little by little from the training camp," and he threw two bullpen pitch at the Miyazaki training camp in February. However, he continued to practice without throwing from the end of the month, saying, "I still felt something different about my reaction the day after I threw," and he underwent a detailed examination on the 5th of this month. The doctor told him, "You really should have surgery."

He had the option of trying to return through conservative treatment, but "the doctor told me that I would definitely have a higher chance of returning if I had Tommy John surgery and spent a year in rehabilitation." After consulting with manager Kishida, he decided to undergo the surgery, which is expected to take more than a year to return, saying, "Instead of looking at the present, I want to improve my level in two or three years and play baseball for a long time."

Fellow right-handed relief pitcher Yoshida is also scheduled to undergo the same surgery in the near future, and the accomplished Yamaoka is also refraining from activities. The damage to the relief pitchers will be great, but the team is also backing Udagawa's complete recovery. In 2022, after being promoted to the regular team midway through the season, he recorded ERA of 0.81 in 19 appearances. In 2023, the strong arm recorded 20 hold in 46 appearances, and returns to mound in a muscular form, saying, "If I'm going to do it, I want to be able to pitch even better than that."