On the 9th, pitcher Kosei Yoshida (25) of Orix Buffaloes Buffaloes emerged as a potential candidate for the winning lineup. One year has passed since he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, and he has shown a steady recovery. He is expected to be fully tested in the 10 exhibition games leading up to the season opener.

Yoshida returned to action for the first time in 511 days in the Red vs. White game (SOKKEN) on February 21st, and runs three games without allowing a run. His fastest pitch has also returned to 146 km/h. At the moment, the winning combination of Venezuelan WBC representative Machado as closer, Iwasaki, and Perdomo is the basic lineup, but pitcher coach Atsuzawa explained, "We'll be looking more closely at whether he can join that lineup. Having six players (in the winning combination) is a big deal." Along with Yamazaki and Furutajima, who is recovering from right elbow surgery, Yoshida also has high hopes for him.

In his first exhibition game appearance on the 7th against The Giants (Kyocera Dome), he pitched one inning, allowing one hit and two strike out. Exactly one year after surgery, he showed strong pitch on mound. "I want to give it my all in the position I'm given and make a big comeback," Teruhoshi said. He will continue to produce results and work in an exciting position.