Seibu Lions outfielder Seiya Watanabe (23), who was removed from the active roster after fracturing his left orbital floor, on the 10th, saying, "I was surprised because he said, 'I can play,'" and explained the outlook for the future. On that day, he was inspecting the team's third-string summer camp being held in Bibai City, Hokkaido.

Watanabe started as the "number 7 batter and third baseman" in the game against Softbank Hawks on the 9th (at Belluna Dome). In the third inning with no outs and a runner on first base, trailing by one run, he was hit below the left eye by a hard-hit ball that took an irregular bounce by Masaki, and was unable to stand up, so he was substituted out of the game.

The manager is taking a cautious approach. "We don't know what his condition is like right now," he said, revealing that they plan to conduct another thorough examination on the 12th. "Of course, we appreciate his determination when he says he's ready, but we still want to conduct a thorough examination and see what happens in these 10 days after removing him from the roster," he explained. The plan is to continue using him as third baseman after his return, but it seems they will first assess his condition before deciding when to let him return.