Softbank Hawks Koya Fujii pitcher took a day off from training at the Miyazaki camp on March 21 due to poor condition of his right elbow and returned to Fukuoka.

Fujii had slowed his training pace in January due to discomfort in his right elbow, but rejoined the Miyazaki camp on the 17th. On the 20th, he threw in pitch bullpen with catcher behind the plate. When he threw in pitch bullpen with catcher standing on the 17th, he said about the condition of his right elbow, "There was some pain (in January). There are few players who can finish the season feeling fine, so it's not a big deal. I don't think it's anything special."

Last season, he formed the win "Kiju Trio" with Sugiyama and Matsumoto Yutaka. He pitched in 51 games, posting a record of 2 wins, 3 losses, 19 hold, and ERA of 1.44. Matsumoto Yutaka will be playing for the Japanese national team in the World Baseball Classic, so there is a chance he may not be fully fit for the opening game. If Fujii is unable to make it to the opening game, bullpen that helped the team win the Japan Series for the first time in five years will be in trouble.