The Orix Buffaloes announced on the 26th that they have notified pitcher Ryuhei Sotani (25) that they will not be renewing his contract as a rostered player for the upcoming season.

He joined the Orix Buffaloes as the first-round draft pick in 2022 from Hakuoh University. In his third professional season last year, he recorded a career-high 8 wins, and in March of this year, he participated in the WBC as a member of Samurai Japan. This season, he has 5 wins in 14 games. During the game against the Softbank Hawks on September 17th at Kyocera Dome Osaka, he complained of discomfort in his left elbow and was urgently removed from the mound in the middle of the 6th inning.

After leaving the team, he continued to adjust without throwing, but his condition did not improve as expected, leading to the decision to undergo surgery earlier this month. On the 23rd, he underwent reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow (commonly known as Tommy John surgery), making a return during the next season extremely difficult.

He has appeared in 65 professional games, recording 21 wins, 29 losses, and a 3.45 ERA. It is expected that he will be offered a developmental contract for next season.