On the 8th, it was revealed that Softbank pitcher Stewart Jr., who has been delayed due to an injury to his left rectus abdominis muscle, will have difficulty returning soon. The team announced that he returned to the United States on the same day to undergo a re-examination. He will return to Japan around April 20th. He injured the same area during spring training and had been training with the rehabilitation group with the aim of returning in April.
Last season, Stewart's sixth year in Japan, he had a record of nine wins and four losses with ERA of 1.95, and before his injury he was set to be included in the opening rotation this season.
Missing key fielder Kondo and Kurihara, Softbank has struggled to get on a roll since the start of the season, but they will also be forced to fight without the right-handed pitcher who was expected to be part of the starting rotation.
Related News
・ [Softbank] Naoyuki Uwasawa, despite the headwinds, wins for the first time in 553 days: "No matter where you go, if you don't produce results, you'll be criticized"
・ [Softbank] Hotaka Yamakawa finally hits his first home run of the season, his 30th at-bat in 8 games.
・ [Softbank] The worst start in the 20th year since the founding of Softbank: 1 win, 6 losses Manager Kokubo: "It can't get any worse. It can only get better."
・ [Softbank] Last place since July 2013. Manager Kokubo says "there's no way" to skip Arihara from the rotation.
・ [Softbank] After failing in the first six games, Hotaka Yamakawa, who had a batting average of .08, hit a fly ball to right field in his final at-bat, showing signs of recovery.
