On the 4th, Lotte announced that they have notified five players—pitcher Rikima Ichijo (23) on the active roster, and developmental players pitcher Humiya Motomae (29), pitcher Kirato Nagashimada (22), infielder Rui Katsumata (21), and outfielder Hikaru Takano (22)—that their contracts will not be renewed for next season. Ichijo, the 2024 third-round draft pick right-hander who decided to retire from active play, updated his Instagram the same day, explaining the circumstances behind his decision: "There were continuous sleepless nights where I became unstable, and there were times when I couldn't even grip a ball. I struggled between the feeling that I had to return and the fear of returning. In the midst of that, I felt I could no longer push myself any further and decided to retire from active play. This was not an easy answer to reach."

Ichijo is a right-hander who joined Lotte as a third-round draft pick from Joso Gakuin and Toyo University. His only appearance was in a game against the Softbank Hawks on July 15th of his rookie year last year (at Mizuho PayPay Dome). His career stats consist of one game with no wins or losses and an ERA of 9.00. He had no appearances even in the farm league this season.

▽The full comment is as follows:

I have decided to retire from active duty at this time.

I am truly sorry for not being able to share any information with you for a year and for causing so much worry and inconvenience for such a long time.

I have faced myself many times leading up to this decision. While I have been working toward a comeback by staying active, I also experienced sleepless nights, became unstable, and at times found myself unable to even hold the ball. I struggled between the feeling that I had to return and the fear of doing so. In the midst of that, I felt I could no longer push myself any further and decided to retire from active play. This was not an easy answer to reach. I intend to accept who I am now and move forward.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the organization for their support on so many occasions. I feel deeply sorry to be leaving the team in this manner, having been unable to live up to the expectations placed on me through my performance on the field.

The cheers I received from everyone who supported me were a huge source of strength. Also, thanks to those who stood by me while I was at a standstill, I am now able to start looking forward little by little.

From now on, I would like to take a new path and gradually give back to everyone who has supported me.

To everyone who has supported me until now, those who have stood by me, and all the stakeholders involved, thank you very much.

And I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart for your support until the very end. Rikima Ichijo

◆ Rikima Ichijo. Born February 10, 2003, in Ishioka City, Ibaraki. 23 years old. He started baseball in his first year of junior high school, belonged to the rubber-ball baseball club at Ishioka Junior High, and was selected for the Ibaraki All-Kennan team. At Joso Gakuin, he wore number 1. At Toyo University, he appeared in 6 games in the first division, recording 1 win, 0 losses, and a 1.04 ERA. His fastball, which tops out at 156 km/h, and his fork are highly rated, and he joined Lotte as the 3rd pick in the 2024 draft. 190 cm, 90 kg. Right-handed pitcher, left-handed batter.