On the 8th, Softbank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo announced that three pitcher will be promoted to Group A (equivalent to the first team) from the third training session. As the final day of the second training session approaches, the manager gave a summary. He revealed that three pitchers from Group B, Shunsuke Iwai, Kazuo Ono, and Fuga Otake are scheduled to be promoted in the third training session starting on the 10th.

Both pitched in the BP on the 7th. They made their presence felt in front of the manager, who said, "They have been highly rated by the second-division management for some time," and their current condition was also taken into consideration when making the decision. Live BPs are scheduled for the 10th and 11th in the third training session, meaning they will be pitching in more real-game situations.

Among them, Otake was the one who made the manager say at the BP on the 7th that he had "too much impact." He is a 186cm tall, 88kg right-handed pitcher. He joined the team as the 5th pick in the 2022 draft from Tohoku Fukushi University, underwent Tommy John surgery in the same year, and was signed to a development contract in 2023.

Last season, he was sent to Kufu HAYATE (now Hayate Ventures Shizuoka) in August, making five appearances. During the off-season, he became an apprentice to Mets player Senga and practiced with him. Manager Kokubo also gave him high praise, saying, "He looks completely different from last year. I think he's mastered the independent training he's been doing with Senga." He continued to impress in the third training session, and secured a place on the team.