Softbank Hawks ・ Akira Nakamura outfielder, who underwent lumbar disc herniation surgery last November, held a voluntary training session at a farm facility in Chikugo, Fukuoka, on August 8, and revealed his roadmap to a full recovery. He said, "If I can bring it to max in late February and start playing games in March," he will spend the February camp period in rehabilitation, aiming to be able to move at 100% from March.
On this day, he worked up a sweat by hitting lightly off a tee and catch. "I can still only run at about 30 to 40 percent of my capacity. It doesn't hurt, but I have numbness (in my legs) and I feel like I'm not putting any strength into them. That (numbness) needs to go away. I also think my muscles need to return to normal," he explained his current condition.
Before the start of the 2013 season, the team had decided that he would focus on pinch-hitting, but after the season began, a series of injuries to key players meant that he played in 98 games as a starter. In the 2014 season, he is not content with pinch-hitting either, and is aiming to play at first base. "If I only did that (hitting), my physical condition would deteriorate, so I want to get my body back in shape, get stronger, and become a valuable player who can do it all (running, hitting, and defense)," he said, looking ahead to his 19th season.
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