On the 16th, Softbank Hawks 's Ryoya Kurihara, whose primary position is third base, began practicing as catcher catcher participating in fielding drills and pitcher-fielder coordination. Manager Kokubo explained that this is part of this year's theme of "breaking things down," and stated the aim: "In a sense, to put together a super-offensive lineup, we're exploring the possibility of creating the most powerful batting lineup by having him as catcher and having a player in good form at third base at that time."

Kurihara joined the team as catcher from Harue Technical High School as the second pick in the 2014 draft. Since 2020, he has mainly played outfield, and his last appearance as catcher was in three games in 2021. Since 2023, he has played third base as his main position.

Manager Kokubo revealed that he called Kurihara to his room during training camp and had a thorough discussion. "He said that his competitive spirit as catcher hasn't disappeared, so I thought he should try again. He's had knee surgery, so I'm not sure how far that will go, but I'll explore the possibilities. I told him that I'd give Umino and the others a strong rival," he said.

Whether to have him aim for a regular position as catcher or to keep it as one of his options will be determined through future practice sessions, including bullpen catch, and actual games. "I think camp and this time of year are about exploring possibilities," said the manager. "The reason he originally quit being catcher was because (Kai) Takuya was there. The staff, coaches, and management at the time thought that if he played catcher, he probably wouldn't get any playing time. He said he hadn't had the chance to compete as catcher himself. If he had given up, or if he had no motivation, that would have been fine, but when I talked to him he said he was still interested. So I thought, why not give it a try?"