It was decided on the 30th that Softbank Hawks outfielder Ukyo Shuto, who had been suffering from pain in the back of his left knee, will return to the starting line-up for the game against the Rakuten Eagles on October 1st (Rakuten Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi). Manager Kokubo stated this clearly after the team practice held at Mizuho PayPay Dome that day. Shuto, who completed the regular menu including batting practice and defense, explained his current status, saying, 'I can move at almost 100 percent, so it's just a matter of seeing how it feels once I'm in the game.'

He injured his left knee during defense in the ninth inning of the game against Lotte on the 12th (Mizuho PayPay). Although he remained on the bench afterwards, he was removed from the active roster after the league championship was decided in the game against the Orix Buffaloes on the 17th (Kyocera Dome Osaka).

While Manager Kokubo had initially mentioned removing Shuto from the roster, stating it would be better to have him at 100 percent by the Climax Series, he has recovered enough to play in the remaining four games of the regular season. Shuto himself had been working on a plan for the earliest possible return, saying, 'The trainers listened to my selfish request and let me come back early,' and he will now make his final adjustments during actual games.