On the 26th, NPB announced the player registrations for both the Central and Pacific Leagues.
Softbank Hawks, who won the league title for the second consecutive year and the Japan Series last season, registered 26 players. Two pitcher were selected from the rookies: second-round draft pick Ryuta Inagawa (Kyushu Kyoritsu University) and third-round draft pick Gota Suzuki (Osaka Commercial University). Osuna, who was expected to compete with Sugiyama for the closer role, was left off the roster.
The season will begin on the 27th with a game against Nippon-Ham Fighters at Mizuho PayPay Dome.
The 26 players registered to participate are as follows: (* indicates a rookie)
▽ pitcher
Uesawa, *Inagawa, *Suzuki Go, Sugiyama, Ito, Hernandez, Kamichatani, Matsumoto Yu, Kimura
▽ catcher
Tanigawara, Unno
▽ infielder
Kawase, Yamakawa, Imamiya, Nakamura, Makihara Dai, Kurihara, Shoji, Hirose Takashi, Ihine, Nomura
▽ outfielder
Kondo, Yanagida, Shuto, Yanagimachi, Kawamura
![[Photo] Former Major League Baseball player appears on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' social media!? "I sincerely hope that Japan and Canada will be family," Munenori Kawasaki's message upon the Prime Minister's visit to Japan.](https://hochi.news/images/2026/03/04/20260304-OHT1I51322-L.jpg)
![[Softbank Hawks] Opening day pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa aims for his first opening day win against the Fighters: "I really just want to play as I always do."](https://hochi.news/images/2026/03/26/20260326-OHT1I51247-L.jpg)
![[Softbank Hawks] GM Mikasa Sugihiko commented on Osuna, who will be on the second team at the start of the season: "We are currently discussing how to use him... We have decided not to register him for the season."](https://hochi.news/images/2026/03/26/20260326-OHT1I51225-L.jpg)
![[Softbank Hawks] Manager Hiroki Kokubo shows no pressure ahead of opening game. Drawing on his experience of overcoming three consecutive losses last season to become champion, he says, "Right now, I feel more strongly that this is just one in 143."](https://hochi.news/images/2026/03/26/20260326-OHT1I51204-L.jpg)
![[Nippon-Ham] Manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo: "They're aware of me. They want to beat Shinjo in everything..." Referring to Softbank Hawks 's slogan "Zenshin" (All New).](https://hochi.news/images/2026/03/26/20260326-OHT1I51170-L.jpg)
