It was learned on the 29th that Orix Buffaloes will register three development players, pitcher Chen Mu-heng Chen-heng (20), Hitomi Honda pitcher 27), and Reiji Higashiyama pitcher (26), to their main roster. If all three are registered at the same time, it will be a first for the team. With the maximum number of players on their roster at 70, they will be able to make a comeback from their fourth-place position Pacific League.

The team finished the first half of the season with a .500 winning percentage, 46 wins, 46 losses, and 2 ties. With ace pitchers Miyagi and Yamashita absent this season due to left and right elbow surgeries respectively, strengthening pitcher staff had become a key theme. Chen, a Taiwanese native, is such a talented player that he has attracted interest from Major League teams. In his second year with the team, he was showing signs of his abilities blossoming.

So far, he has pitched in two farm league games, throwing a total of six runs. Overcoming a brief poor condition, his fastball has recovered to 152 km/h, nearly his personal best. He is a true right-hander who has envisioned the ideal of a starting pitcher, saying, "I want to be like Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitcher."

Two powerful relievers are making a comeback. Honda, a right-hander in his ninth year, has appeared in a total of 96 games. Due to the effects of right elbow surgery, he was given his first development contract in the offseason of his rookie year in 2018, and was registered as a regular player in July of the following year. He contributed to the team's consecutive league championships in 2022 and 2023, but underwent cleaning surgery on his right elbow last September. He is currently making appearances in games along with Higashiyama, a second-year right-hander who underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last May. It has been determined that he is capable of becoming a valuable asset to the first team.

pitcher from the University of Georgia who was selected in the sixth round of last year's draft, has joined the Reds of Major League Baseball. With the registration deadline at the end of this month approaching, they are prepared to do everything they can to secure him.

◆Chen Mu-heng, born March 23, 2006, in Taiwan. Age 20. Attended Guobao Commercial High School and then National Taiwan Sport University. In the U-18 Asian Championship in September 2024, he started two games, pitching a total of 9 1/3 innings, allowing only two hit and no runs. He joined Orix Buffaloes in October of the same year as a developmental player. 181 cm, 84 kg. Right-handed pitcher, left-handed batter. Annual salary: 6 million yen.

◆Hitomi Honda: Born July 27, 1999, in Kanagawa Prefecture. Age 27. Did not participate in Koshien while attending Seisa International High School Shonan in Kanagawa. Joined Orix Buffaloes in the 2017 draft as the 4th pick. Career record: 6 wins, 6 losses, 2 saves, 30 hold, and ERA 4.66 in 96 games. 181 cm, 74 kg. Right-handed pitcher, left-handed batter. Annual salary: 20 million yen.

◆Reiji Higashiyama: Born May 5, 2000, in Kagawa Prefecture. Age 26. Did not play Koshien while attending Marugame High School. After graduating from the same university and playing for ENEOS in the corporate league, he joined Orix Buffaloes in the 2024 draft as the 5th pick. 180 cm, 83 kg. Right-handed pitcher and batter. Annual salary: 7 million yen.