The Rakuten Eagles announced on the 26th that Shinya Tsuruoka will be appointed as a coach for the upcoming season.

Tsuruoka, who was a catcher during his active career, played for Nippon-Ham and the Softbank Hawks, among others. From 2019 to 2021, he served as a player-coach for the battery. In total, he appeared in 1,220 games. He recorded a career batting average of .238, with 20 Home Runs and 267 RBIs.

He also had a coach-player relationship with Rakuten Eagles manager Yoshii during their time with Nippon-Ham and the Softbank Hawks.

After retiring from active play in 2021, he served as a commentator and in other roles.