Seibu Lions' first-round draft pick, catcher Taiga Kojima (22) from Meiji University, will join the first team for the game against Lotte on the 13th (ZOZO).

He was scheduled to start this spring at the first-team camp in Nango, Miyazaki, but on the final day, February 23rd, he complained of discomfort in the back of his right thigh and joined the farm team on the 27th. He returned to action on March 8th. On this day, he practiced at Carminique with the farm team players. Looking back on the roughly two weeks since his absence, he said, "It felt both long and short. Since there weren't many games, I think it was good that I was able to spend time on basic defense and batting practice." With his rookie year opening approaching on the 27th, he was enthusiastic, saying, "I want to produce solid results in batting, and I'd like to show that I can play defense as well."

Also joining the team outfielder Lin An-ke (28), who joined Seibu Lions this season and played for Taiwan in the WBC.