Rakuten Eagles announced on the 5th that outfielder Kazuki Tanaka will retire from active duty at the end of this season. Additionally, a ceremony is scheduled to be held at Fan Thanksgiving 2026.

Kazuma Tanaka joined the team as a third-round draft pick in 2016. In his second year, 2018, he played in 105 games and recorded a .265 batting average, 18 Home Runs, 45 RBI, and 21 stolen bases, winning the Rookie of the Year award.

After that, he was active mainly as a pinch runner and defense specialist, but he had no first-team appearances this season. Even on the farm team, he appeared in 34 games, recording a .230 batting average, 1 Home Run, and 5 RBI.