The Orix Buffaloes announced on the 26th that they have notified pitcher Ryuhei Sotani, pitcher Atsuya Fujikawa, pitcher Kohei Azuma, pitcher Kento Kawase, and pitcher Kaede Yokoyama that their standard player contracts will not be renewed for the upcoming season.

Soya, who joined the team as the first-round draft pick in 2022, recorded a career-high 8 wins last season, his third year as a professional. In March of this year, he participated in the WBC as a member of Samurai Japan. He had 5 wins in 14 games this season, but during the game against the Softbank Hawks on September 17th at Kyocera Dome Osaka, he complained of discomfort in his left elbow and made an emergency exit in the middle of the 6th inning. On the 23rd, he underwent medial collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his left elbow (commonly known as Tommy John surgery), making a return during next season an extremely difficult situation.

Fujikawa, who joined the team as a first-round draft pick in 2025 from Nobeoka Gakuen, is currently on a long-term hiatus after undergoing medial collateral ligament reconstruction (commonly known as Tommy John surgery) in August of his first year out of high school. Along with Kaede Yokoyama, who underwent a similar surgery in August, and Azuma, who underwent his third right elbow surgery in September, he spends his days working hard on rehabilitation based in Maishima, Osaka.

Kawase, whose older brother is Akira Kawase of the Softbank Hawks, joined the team from Oita Commercial High School as the first pick in the 2020 developmental draft. In July 2024, his fourth year as a professional, he earned a promotion to the 70-man roster and has appeared in a total of 43 professional games. It is expected that the five players will be offered developmental contracts.